JU RTAVI ZAHCHARIIAS NINTERNKATIONAIL NMINISTRGIES N · overjoyed. Now he would be able to play football with the other boys. The relentless teasing would cease and he wouldn’t

JUSTTHINKINGTHE MAGAZINE OF RAVI ZACHARIAS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

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+CALLED BY NAMEPAGE 04

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JUSTTHINKING

Just Thinking is a teaching

resource of Ravi Zacharias

International Ministries and

exists to engender thoughtful

engagement with apologetics,

Scripture, and the whole of life.

Danielle DuRant

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HELPING THE THINKER BELIEVE.

H E L P I N G T H E B E L I E V E R T H I N K .

TABLE of CONTENTSVOLUME 26.1

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IA] C/O

THEISPOT.COM

10The Man above the RiverIn an excerpt from his classicbook Against the Flow,John Lennox addresses theprophet Daniel’s encounterwith a heavenly messenger,reminding us that there is aworld beyond this one—andthere is a God who loves us.

03A Note from the Editor

04Called by NameEven a casual reader of theBible cannot help but noticethe many bold and staggeringpromises made concerningprayer, writes MargaretManning Shull.

08The Gift of SilenceGod’s supposed silence to ourprayers is often a challenge toChristian belief; but NathanBetts points out that thisdoes not necessarily implythat He is inactive.

20Have Mercy on UsMichelle Tepper looks at a centuries-old historic prayer and shows how it can comfort and assist us in calling upon God even today.

24Evening PrayerDanielle DuRant imagineswhat Zechariah must haveexperienced when he is suddenly met by the angelGabriel in the temple.

26Sure FootingPrayer is a constant reminderthat we are not autonomous,suggests Ravi Zacharias,and is so much more thanmerely asking for somethingand receiving it.

BEAUTY GIVEN BY GRACEStill Point is proud to host Beauty Given by Grace: The Biblical Prints of

Sadao Watanabe, a traveling exhibit of CIVA that celebrates Watanabe’s lifeand work by bringing together works from two private collectors, Sandra

Bowden and John Kohan. Beauty Given by Grace opened on October 1, 2017and will remain on view until December 31, 2017, before returning to Japan.

THE LAST SUPPER

SADAO WATANABE (1914-1996)

HAND COLORED KAPPAZURI

STENCIL PRINT ON

MOMIGAMI PAPER

1966

BOWDEN COLLECTIONS

STILLPOINT

ARTS

FORM BEFORE FUNCTION. I ran acrossthat phrase recently and it stopped mein my tracks—literally. I’ve had a minorbut nagging injury to my foot thatwouldn’t heal even after several days offfrom running. The lack of progress overtwo months had been discouraging.“Form over function” suggested, however,that I first needed to pay attention tomy posture and particular muscles thatweren’t engaging properly before I could return to running. This idea, incidentally, fueled the barefoot runningboom—and my own journey towardrecovery.

“Progress, if such a practical termcan be used, is not measured by theamount of ground that is covered; it ismeasured by the amount of attentionthat is paid,” remarks Robert Benson in his book Living Prayer. Regarding the journey of prayer, he writes, “Wemust pay attention to the seasons thatsurround us and we must live the seasonin which we find ourselves.”

If we were to look closely at ourlives, we might find that there are par-ticular narratives—perhaps associated

with a loss or persistent difficulty—thatgive shape to our prayers or lack thereof.The pages of Scripture are punctuatedwith prayer, giving voice over the cen-turies to earnest cries, songs of praise,and words left unspoken. In the pagesthat follow, we consider the prayers ofthe psalmists, Daniel, Zechariah, andeven Jesus. Their lives provide neededperspective and their prayers awakenhope. They bespeak a faithful God whodoes not forget his people: He is at workin us wherever we may be whether wesee Him or not.

As Ravi Zacharias notes, “Prayer,in its most basic form, is the surging ofthe human spirit in its weakness, grasp-ing at the Spirit of God in his strength.”Likewise, John Lennox calls to ourattention “times when those of us whoare believers may find the way difficult;we are faced with apparently unanswer-able questions and insoluble difficulties—many of them to do with the flow oflife. It is at those times that we mostneed reassurance that there is a worldbeyond this one; there is a God who isreal, and He loves me.”

Paying Attention

JUST THINKING • VOLUME 26.1 [3]

Danielle DuRantEditor

[4] JUST THINKING • RAVI ZACHARIAS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

Called by NameBy Margaret Manning Shull


Even a casual reader of the Bible cannot help but notice the many bold and staggering promises

made concerning prayer. Perhaps none is more direct than Jesus’s statement inMark’s Gospel: “All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you havereceived them, and they will be grantedyou” (11:24). Matthew and Luke recordsimilar promises.1 Those who seek afterGod knock, and God will open the door.All things that are asked for in prayer,with belief, will be received. So strongare these promises about prayer that theGreek language in which they were originally translated indicates that what is asked for is already accomplished. Theone praying simply needs to believe theanswer has already been received.

It was reading bold promises likethese found in the Bible that troubledEnglish author Somerset Maugham. Inhis novel Of Human Bondage, he tells a fictionalized account of an incident withprayer from which his faith never recov-ered. The central character in the novel,Philip, is a young boy, full of faith, whohas a clubfoot. When Philip reads thisverse from Mark about prayer, he is overjoyed. Now he would be able to play football with the other boys. Therelentless teasing would cease and hewouldn’t have to hide his foot any longerwhen swimming with other children.

So Philip immediately “prayedwith all the power in his soul. No doubtsassailed him. He was confident in the

Word of God. And the night before hewas to go back to school he went up tobed tremulous with excitement…. Heremembered at once that this was themorning of the miracle. His heart wasfilled with joy and gratitude. His firstinstinct was to put down his hand andfeel the foot which was whole now, butto do this seemed to doubt the goodnessof God. He knew that his foot was well.But at last, he made up his mind, andwith the toes of his right foot he justtouched his left. Then he passed hishand over it. He limped downstairs justas Mary Ann was going into the diningroom for prayers, and then he sat downto breakfast.”2 His foot was not healedand his faith was destroyed.

Unanswered prayers prayed withutter conviction are particularly difficultto understand. Maugham, who had a stutter, prayed fervently for healing, butlike his character Philip, his prayer wasanswered with a resounding “No” andhis faith was never the same. Jesusimplies in his teaching on prayer thatlike our earthly fathers, God longs togive us what is good in response to theasking, seeking, and knocking of prayer:“Which of you, if your son asks forbread, will give him a stone? Or if heasks for a fish, will give him a snake?”(Matthew 7:9-10). Yet for Maugham, orhis alter-ego Philip, how could he see hisstuttering or that clubfoot as a good gift,when all it brought him was mercilessteasing, rejection, and misery?

Most people—religious or non-religious—haveexperienced the pain of unanswered prayer, andyet Scripture reveals that prayer is so muchmore than simply receiving answers to requests.


Most people—religious or non-religious—have experienced the pain of unanswered prayer. Whether in thesimple prayers of childhood, or in thefervent prayers of the deeply faithful, itis an all too common human experiencethat prayers are answered “No” or withwhat can feel like indifferent silence.Prayers for God’s protection, God’s healing,and God’s intervention are answered forsome, but others suffer accidents, injuries,illnesses, or death despite fervent prayer.Sometimes when we are most desperateto hear God’s voice, there is only a vastsilence in return. Perhaps, we are temptedto give up praying all together. EmilyDickinson wrote of this temptation todespair over unanswered prayer:

There comes an hour when begging stops,When the long interceding lipsPerceive their prayer is vain.3

Even if the divine answer is “Wait,”the months and years of waiting canstretch on interminably, making the mostpatient intercessor wonder what “good”gift could come in the endless waiting.

And yet the Bible makes it clearthat pain does not go unnoticed in God’seyes. Psalm 56 speaks of God figurativelystoring up our tears in a bottle and theBook of Revelation looks forward to aday when God will wipe every tear fromour eyes. In the meantime, however, it isperfectly acceptable for us to cry, to ques-tion, to throw our grief before the Godwho laments along with us. In fact, agood portion of the Scripture is a recordof such lament and groaning before God.

The Psalms give voice to thelament of those who wonder about thepresence of God in the midst of sufferingand silence. “Evening and morning andat noon, I will complain and murmur,and God will hear my voice,” the psalmistwrites in Psalm 55:17. In Psalm 73, we heardespair and hope together:

When my heart was embittered and Iwas pierced within, then I was senselessand ignorant; I was like a beast beforeyou. Nevertheless, I am continuallywith you; you have taken hold of myright hand. With your counsel you willguide me, and afterward receive me toglory. Whom have in heaven but you?And besides you, I desire nothing onearth. My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heart andmy portion forever. (verses 21-26)

What is so encouraging about thisPsalm is that even when we are angrywith God and embittered against God’sseeming indifference to our prayers, thisdoes not put us out of God’s reach andpresence. “Where can I go from yourpresence and where can I hide from yourlove?” the psalmist asks in Psalm 139.The answer is nowhere! “If I make my bedin Sheol (the place of the dead) behold,You are there!”

GOOD GIFTSSo what is this good gift promised byJesus? Matthew 7 and Luke 11 presentparallel teachings on this promise ofprayer—and what Matthew implies,Luke makes explicit. In Matthew’saccount Jesus tells his disciples that the Father will give what is good to thosewho ask Him. In Luke’s account, Jesusdefines what is good and tells us thatGod will give the Holy Spirit to thosewho ask.

How might one understand theHoly Spirit as God’s abundant answer toprayer—even those prayers that go unan-swered or receive an unwanted answer?

Christians believe that the promiseof the Holy Spirit is the promise ofGod’s presence through all the circum-stances of life. The Bible speaks of theHoly Spirit as the comforter, the onewho comes alongside.4The promise of God’s presence is meant to sustain,


even in the mystery of “No” to our specificrequests. God’s good gift is the hope thatGod is present no matter what life bringsand that He knows us each by name.

I am reminded of a season whenmy late husband and I worked amongthe homeless in Boston. Like so manyother homeless individuals all aroundour country, they were merely faces in acrowd, a nuisance to be avoided, or sim-ply another panhandler asking formoney. One gentleman in particular,sprawled against a building in a self-induced alcohol coma, became a fixturefor me and the other passers-by inBoston’s financial district. He wasstepped over and generally regarded assimply another facet of the buildingagainst which his stupefied body slum-bered. He had no name or value to me,or to anyone who daily passed him by on those cold streets. In fact, at times he seemed barely human.

That is until we began to beinvolved in a ministry that made a point of calling people by name. As weparticipated in this ministry that sawthe nameless among us, we learned theirnames: Bobby, Jim, Fred, John, Daniel,and Carl. We ate meals together andtalked with each other. We listened andshared. We asked them to come in off thestreets and into a place of warmth andsolace. Soon, we couldn’t walk the streetsof Boston without seeing these as personswe knew by name, these same ones whowere formerly unknown to us. Now, I sawBobby and Jim, Fred and John; they wereknown to me, and I to them.

There is something about beingknown and called by name that giveseach of us dignity and worth. To be ableto look someone in the eye and say hisor her name communicates knowledge,oftentimes warmth, and a sense of value:I care enough to know your name.

In prayer, God invites us into hispresence, where we are known and loved.

We are invited to pour out our hearts toHim, for God is a refuge and promises in his presence there is fullness of joy.5

Likewise, Jesus says of his followers,“The sheep hear his voice, and he callshis own sheep by name” (John 10:3).

Prayer, then, is so much more thansimply receiving answers to requests.Prayer is an invitation to relationshipwith God. Prayer is about joining in withthe Spirit who rejoices with us, comfortsus, and even groans with us. As theologianJohn Calvin claimed about the prayers oflament in the Psalms, they are “amongthe unutterable groanings of which Paulmakes mention in Romans 8:26, ‘For thespirit himself intercedes for us withgroanings too deep for words.’”6

Unanswered prayer will always be a mystery. For every person who prays,there will be times when it seems thegift is a scorpion instead of an egg, or asnake instead of a fish. Yet perhaps as we wrestle with prayer, God’s boldpromise to send the Holy Spirit is theonly answer we could hope for: the goodgift of the Father’s abiding presence, thepower of redemption in the Son, and the promise of God’s creative, ongoingwork to make something beautiful fromthe chaos of our lives.

Margaret Manning Shull is an adjunctmember of the speaking and writingteam at Ravi Zacharias InternationalMinistries in Bellingham, Washington.

1 See Matthew 7:7-11 and 21:22; Luke 11:9-13.2 Cited in Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,2006), 216-217.3 Ibid., 213.4 John 14:16, 26.5 See Psalm 62:8 and 16:11.6Cited in J. Todd Billings, Rejoicing in Lament:Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life in Christ(Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2015), 156.


BEFORE OFFERING a narrative of Christ’sbirth, the opening chapter of the Gospelof Luke recounts a dramatic conversationbetween a priest called Zechariah andthe angel Gabriel. One day Zechariah wasserving in the temple when the angelGabriel appeared to him. Zechariah wasvery afraid, but Gabriel spoke to himsaying, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, foryour prayer has been heard, and yourwife Elizabeth will bear you a son, andyou shall call his name John. And youwill have joy and gladness, and many willrejoice at his birth, for he will be greatbefore the Lord” (verses 14-15). Indeed,this son, later identified as John theBaptist, would be the one to preparepeople for the coming of Jesus.

Yet instead of rejoicing over thepromised fulfillment of a deep longingand prayer, Zechariah objects, “How shallI know this? For I am an old man, andmy wife is advanced in years.” So Gabrielresponds by explaining to Zechariahprecisely to whom he is speaking andalso by citing the authority on which hebears this news:

I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence ofGod, and I was sent to speak to you andto bring you this good news. And behold,you will be silent and unable to speakuntil the day that these things takeplace, because you did not believe mywords, which will be fulfilled in theirtime. (Luke 1:19-20)

One only needs to read further inthis chapter of Luke’s Gospel to find outthat this promise from the Lord is soon

fulfilled. Elizabeth and Zechariah have ababy boy—and it is only after Zechariahwrites, “His name is John,” that he is ableto speak again.

There are many aspects of thisstory that are remarkable. First is thecontext in which the story takes place:the people of Israel, of whom Zechariahand Elizabeth are a part, have not heardfrom God for a period of roughly 400 years! When Gabriel appears toZechariah, it is highly likely that this is the first time Zechariah has heardfrom God in such a way.

To make theological matters evenmore complicated for Zechariah,Gabriel’s second statement, after tellinghim to not be afraid, is “Your prayer hasbeen heard.” There is deep irony in thisstatement primarily because of the theo-logical background to this conversation.For all of Zechariah’s life, he has neverheard God’s voice like this. The very actof God verbally speaking to him wouldseem preposterous. Therefore, it isunderstandable why Zechariah questionsGabriel. Zechariah and his people haveprayed to God, many for their entirelives, and they have never heard a verbalresponse—or perhaps anything. Howcould Zechariah be sure this was truly amessage from the Lord? This encounterundoubtedly marks a watershedmoment, not only for Zechariah but also for God’s people and the entireworld. God would speak now and manwould be silent.

God’s silence is often a challengeto Christian belief. One point I gleanfrom the early part of this story is thatGod’s silence does not necessarily implythat God is inactive. In Israel’s case,God had been silent for years, yet in this angelic encounter, nearly the firstwords of instruction from the Lord are, “Your prayer has been heard.”

For those of us who are immersedin the urgency of the digital world, we

The Gift of Silence

By Nathan Betts


would do well to heed the implicit lessonof patience found in this story. God hadbeen silent for a long time, but God waslistening. There are times in our lives in which we do not hear God’s voice.Gabriel’s words tell us that although we might not hear God speaking, God is still listening. Silence does not meaninactivity.

After Zechariah objects to theseemingly audacious promise given fromthe Lord, Gabriel points out that it isnot on his own authority that he speaks,but God’s. Implicit in Gabriel’s statementis the reality that God is bringing help toIsrael, not because of what Zechariah orElizabeth have done, but rather becauseof who God is. Historically speaking,God is the one who helped, rescued, andsaved Israel countless times. The peopleof Israel knew this history well, and theyalso knew why God had reached downand helped them. As the prophet Micahdeclares, “Who is a God like you, whopardons sin and forgives the transgres-sion of the remnant of his inheritance?You do not stay angry forever but delightto show mercy” (Micah 7:18). This muchwas clear in the mind of Israel: God’s salvation came only because of God’scharacter. God’s saving power came, not because of humanity’s effort, butbecause of God’s nature to save.

Gabriel then tells Zechariah thathe will be silent. This is what strikes memost about the story: Gabriel appears to

Zechariah in a time during which thepeople of Israel had not heard from Godin years. The Lord speaks to Zechariahand tells him that God will act and fulfillhis promise, but while He does so,Zechariah will be silent.

I have often wondered why Godcaused Zechariah to be silent. Some sug-gest that it was a type of punishment.Perhaps it was. Whether one believesthat or not, I am convinced that the actof silence was pointing to somethingdeeper and far richer than merely oneman receiving a punishment from Godfor not believing in Him, and here’s why:Though they sometimes forgot, the peo-ple of Israel knew that God had helpedthem. They knew why God had helpedthem, and they also had learned howGod had worked in history. Over timethey had realized that God’s grace andsalvation would be worked out throughquietness and trust. Israel’s strength laynot in activity and being busy, but insilence. This was how God worked.

Zechariah’s silence is a symbol ofGod’s salvation. Zechariah’s son, John,spent his life preparing people for Christ,the means by which people could besaved. But before John came, the Lordvisited his father through Gabriel,telling Zechariah that God had heard hisprayer and was going to rescue his people—not in a flurry of human activity, butin a way in which people could onlywatch Him work and hear Him speak.

Perhaps one of the vital lessons wecan learn from Zechariah, and the entirestory of Christ’s coming, is to prioritizesilence before God. At the very least,being quiet will remind us of a greatertime, one of the greatest in history, whenGod spoke and humankind was there—there only to watch, listen, and receive.

Nathan Betts is a member of the speakingand writing team at Ravi ZachariasInternational Ministries.

For those of us who areimmersed in the urgency of thedigital world, we would dowell to heed the implicit lessonof patience found in this story.God had been silent for a longtime, but God was listening.

The Man above the RiverBy John Lennox

[ d o n o t b e a f r a i d ]


The last section of the book of Daniel, chapters 10–12,contains the fourth visionthat God gave to Daniel. Hedates it to the third year of

Cyrus, locates it as happening on thebank of the River Tigris, and describes it as the revelation of a great conflict.Once more he makes it clear that whathe writes is not produced by his ownbrilliant intellect—it was given as a revelation. What is more, Daniel claimsthat what was revealed to him is true:And the word was true, and it was [or, itwas about] a great conflict (Daniel 10:1).

Since this is the longest of thevisions, we shall introduce it by giving abrief sketch of its contents. First of allDaniel sees the glorious figure of a manabove the great River Tigris, and he is sooverwhelmed that he falls asleep. He isawakened by a heavenly messenger, whotells him that he has come to make himunderstand what is to happen to his people in the future. The messenger says that his journey to Daniel has beenresisted by certain powers in the unseenworld, but now he has finally arrived toreveal to Daniel what is inscribed in thebook of truth (Daniel 10:21).

There follows a lengthy historicalsurvey, which we can now interpret asbeginning in Daniel’s time in Medo-Persia, tracing the rise of the Greekempire under Alexander the Great, anddetailing the subsequent division of thatempire into four parts under his gener-als. There follows the constant conflictbetween the various parts, particularlybetween the Seleucids (the “kings of thenorth”) and the Ptolemies (the “kings ofthe south”), culminating in the desecra-tion of the temple in Jerusalem by theSeleucid king Antiochus IV “Epiphanes”in the second century BC.

Next, as elsewhere, the narrativeuses the time of Antiochus as a prototypeof the time of the end, when a fierceking will arise that shall exalt himself andmagnify himself above every god (Daniel11:36). There will be a time of unparal-leled trouble for Daniel’s people, Israel,followed by deliverance and the resur-rection of both the just and the unjust.

At that point Daniel is told to sealthe book until the time of the end (12:4).

He then observes two figuresstanding, one on each bank of the river,and he hears a voice asking the manabove the river, How long shall it be till theend of these wonders? (12:6). The answercomes: a time, times, and half a time. Danieldoes not understand it, so he asks whatit means. He is again told that the wordsare sealed until the time of the end (12:7).The book concludes with a wonderfulpromise to Daniel: you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days (12:12).

Extract from Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism byJohn C. Lennox, published by Monarch Books, 2015. Text copyright © 2015John C. Lennox. Used with permission of Lion Hudson plc. (Against the Flowis available for purchase online at rzim.christianbook.com.)

Daniel’s story is one of extraordinary faithin God lived out in captivity in Babylonwith his fellow countrymen. More thanseventy years after his deportation fromJerusalem, and three weeks after he hasmourned and prayed for his people, Daniel is given another glorious visionfrom God—the fourth and final one.

©2017 [RICHARD M

IA] C/O

THEISPOT.COM



A MESSAGE FROM HEAVENLet us now proceed to have a closer lookat some of the detail of this vision.Daniel is told that its content is inscribedin the book of truth (10:21). In his previousvision Daniel was studying another bookof truth—the prophecy of Jeremiah. Thatbook was accessible to him. However, inthis final vision, the book of truth is notthe kind of book that is available in alibrary, so its content will be revealed tohim directly. This makes explicit whatwe already know: Daniel was a prophetin his own right, in the sense that Godrevealed information directly to him.

Daniel is told that the book oftruth contains detailed informationabout historical events after his time.The fact that it had already been writtenis very striking. Some people will thensay that we cannot take it seriously. If itwere true, they argue, it would lead to adeterministic—or, at least, a semi-deistic—view of God that would be totallyunacceptable, whereby God has woundeverything up and just let it run likeclockwork, with no room for humanresponsibility or interaction with thedivine. We note at once that this wouldalso apply to Jeremiah’s prophecy aboutthe captivity in Babylon, which Danielwas reading before he had the vision ofthe seventy weeks. Indeed, it wouldapply to all prophecy, including that ofDaniel himself.

Some people think that if it is thecase that certain events have been pre-dicted in writing then whoever is behindthe prediction causes those events tooccur, and thus eliminates any freedom

of decision or action on the part ofthose involved. However, that wouldonly be arguably the case if we werenaively to assume that God’s relationshipto time is the same as ours. In fact, wedo not even know what time is, let alonethe complexities of God’s relationshipto it.

Nor is this the place for detailedbiblical teaching on the relationshipbetween God’s sovereignty and humanresponsibility.1 Suffice to say that even ifcertain events have been predicted byGod’s revelation, that does not in anyway remove moral agency—and there-fore responsibility and accountability.This is as much an issue in the NewTestament as it is in the Old. Think, for instance, of Peter’s statement atPentecost to the crowds in Jerusalem:this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Acts 2:23).

Daniel dates his vision to the thirdyear of Cyrus, so it was over seventy yearsafter his deportation from Jerusalem. Hewas an old man, therefore, at least eighty-five years of age. It is interesting how heidentifies himself here. He tells us thename that he was given all those yearsbefore in the Babylonian period. It’s as if he is saying: “Yes, I am the very sameDaniel, whom Nebuchadnezzar namedBelteshazzar.”

The date is important, since itenables us to deduce something thatDaniel does not explicitly mention: thisvision occurred two years after some ofthe Jews were allowed by an edict of

Some people think that if it is the case that certain events havebeen predicted in writing then whoever is behind the predictioncauses those events to occur, and thus eliminates any freedom ofdecision or action on the part of those involved.


Cyrus to return to Jerusalem and beginthe task of rebuilding the temple (Ezra1:1). Daniel had not gone back with thepilgrims—possibly due to age or infirmi-ty, or because he was still an importantfigure in the administration of Babylon.As Edward Young points out, if theDaniel of the sixth century BC were a fictitious person, created by the imagi-nation of a writer in the second centuryBC, it would have been a plausible fiction to have Daniel returning toJerusalem as soon as possible: “The fact that Daniel does not return toPalestine is a strong argument againstthe view that the book is a product ofthe Maccabean age.”2

Judging from the tone of the bookof Ezra, we can imagine that reports hadreached Daniel that things were notgoing very well in Jerusalem. Daniel wasstill deeply troubled about his peopleand their future. It must have been very depressing, then, to learn from thevision of the seventy weeks that the ultimate restoration of Jerusalem and of his people would take a very muchlonger period than Daniel might havehoped.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourningfor three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for thefull three weeks. (Daniel 10:2–3)

His use here of the Hebrew expression,literally “three weeks of days,” may be asubtle but deliberate hint at the contrastbetween that short time and the seventyinterminable weeks of years in Daniel 9.

It was the first month of theJewish year, the month Nisan, just pastthe time of Passover, when he and hisnation ought to have been joyfully cele-brating their marvelous deliverance byGod from slavery. Passover celebrationsstarted on the fourteenth day of the

month, and normally took one week.Presumably Daniel had celebrated thePassover, yet such was the depth of hissorrow that he extended the period ofhis mourning for three times thatlength. It was as if his people were dead.Daniel could not know that centurieslater Paul, who shared the same heart-break, would express the hope that“dead” Israel would rise again:

For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but lifefrom the dead? (Romans 11:15)

The matter of his people’s predicamentweighed so heavily on Daniel’s mindthat he ate very little, no fine food,meat, or wine. This mention of food islike an echo from the introduction tothe book, where Daniel refused theking’s food in order not to defile himselfwith the surrounding pagan culture.

Incidentally, from what Danielnow says, his initial stance did not meanthat he felt it necessary in other circum-stances to refrain from good food andwine. He voluntarily gave up such thingsfor this period of three weeks, not nowto avoid compromise with paganism; hewas fasting out of concern for his nation.

We cannot read Daniel’s mind, ofcourse, but there is something very humanabout what is written here. Daniel hashad a lifetime’s experience of God’sprovidential care and supernatural inter-vention. He has seen God working atthe highest levels of state—even in theheart of an emperor. He has receivedthree direct revelations from God aboutthe future: each of them involving predictions of terrible things that willhappen to his people. And yet here he is, one of those people: resolute still inthe faith he developed as a student inBabylon, but deeply puzzled at the twistsand turns in the fate of his nation. It was


almost too much for a sensitive, brilliant,and caring man like Daniel to bear. So hefasted and mourned, not even botheringto soothe and refresh his skin and pro-tect it from the heat by the usual meansof rubbing in oil.

Perhaps he hoped that God hadsomething more to say to him—truthnot sentiment that could comfort him inhis old age, so that he could die in peaceknowing that the future was safe. Helonged for his mourning to end in joy.

He was standing one day by theRiver Tigris, contemplating its flow.Where he stood the river was about a

mile wide—it was one of the mightiestrivers on earth. The massive expanse ofwater was constantly on the move, surg-ing past him on its irresistible journey.The flow of great rivers had already beenused by Jewish writers as a poeticmetaphor to express the flow of historyin the nations of the world, as theysurged against each other in conflict,calmed down for a time, surged again,broke their banks, and flooded acrosseach other in what seemed to be a ceaseless maelstrom of war, conflict, and suffering. For instance, Isaiah wroteof the Assyrian war machine:

The Lord spoke to me again: “Becausethis people has refused the waters ofShiloah that flow gently, and rejoiceover Rezin and the son of Remaliah,therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing

up against them the waters of theRiver, mighty and many, the king ofAssyria and all his glory. And it willrise over all its channels and go over allits banks, and it will sweep on intoJudah, it will overflow and pass on,reaching even to the neck, and its out-spread wings will fill the breadth ofyour land, O Immanuel.” (Isaiah 8:5–8)

Vivid imagery—picturing Jerusalem,perched as a head on the neck of amountain, about to be engulfed by therising flood of the mighty armies ofAssyria pouring into the land around.

THE FLOW OF HISTORYDaniel had already heard such imageryused of Jerusalem in the previous vision:Its end shall come with a flood, and to theend there shall be war (Daniel 9:26). Now,as he watches the restless flow of theTigris, his mind is drawn once more tothe inexorable flow of history. Where isit all going? What does it all mean? Hewill speak of forces that come, overflowand pass through, as they wreak theirdestructive path (11:10, 40). He startedhis book by drawing attention to God’ssovereignty over history, even as heallowed Nebuchadnezzar to defeat theking of Judah (1:2). Now, at the end of thebook, he is returning to the same theme.How is he to navigate the complexitiesof what he has already been told? Afterall, Judah’s defeat was relatively easy tounderstand. The moral and spiritual rea-

Daniel has had a lifetime’s experience of God’s providential careand supernatural intervention. He has seen God working at thehighest levels of state—even in the heart of an emperor. He hasreceived three direct revelations from God about the future: eachof them involving predictions of terrible things that will happento his people.


sons for it lie at the heart of Daniel’sprayer in chapter 9. He has been deeplyshaken by this knowledge that only hepossessed, of all his people: their futureis going to be long and dark, and theyhave yet to experience waves of fiercepersecution by the nations of the world.The vision of chapter 9 had left too muchunclear. Daniel longed to know more.

Where was the Tigris going? Wherewas history going? Where was Daniel’snation going? Where was Daniel going?Could anything impede the flow? Couldone swim against it? What was themeaning of it all anyway? His mind iscrammed with questions as he standsgazing across the vast expanse of theriver. Then he becomes aware of theglowing figure of a majestic man abovethe river. The man is dressed in linen,with a belt of fine gold, his body incan-descent with light like a jewel, his facelike lightning, his eyes fiercely flaminglike a torch, and his legs gleaming likebronze. The man is speaking, and hisvoice is like the roaring sound of a vastmultitude. This is no mere human, oreven an angel; here is overwhelminglytranscendent glory.

Six centuries later the apostle Johnsaw him: the same glorious man, his facelike the sun, eyes like flame, feet likeglowing bronze, and a voice like theocean’s roar. He was Jesus Christ, therisen and ascended Son of God. Howcould Daniel have seen him? We are nowon the edge of something unfathomablyprofound. It was the same apostle Johnwho wrote: No one has ever seen God; theonly God, who is at the Father’s side, he hasmade him known (John 1:18). He is theWord, who was with God, was God, anduniquely reveals God. This is the oneDaniel saw.

Daniel was not alone that day.Perhaps he had brought some closefriends who shared his burdens. We do not know, but whoever these com-

panions were, they, like Paul’s companionson the road to Damascus (Acts 9:7), didnot see the vision. Sensing that some-thing awesome was happening, theybegan to tremble and ran to seek a placeto hide. Daniel was left alone to gaze atthis overpowering sight of the dazzlingglory of the man who was above the river.

The vision had such an effect onhis emotions that his strength ebbedaway, and he was aware that his normallyradiant facial expression had fearfullychanged. The volume of the cataract ofwords coming from above the rivercaused his senses to go into overload. He collapsed on the ground and fell intoa deep sleep. The apostle John reactedthe same way. He fell as dead at the feetof the glorious man, until he felt a handon his shoulder and heard the voice ofJesus telling him not to fear.

The next thing Daniel knew wasthat a hand was touching him, which sethim on his hands and knees tremblingwith weakness and fear. And then avoice spoke to him. It is not said to bethe voice of Gabriel, but the language of address is very similar:

O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now Ihave been sent to you. (Daniel 10:11)

Once more, a supernatural messengertells Daniel personally that he is greatlyloved. Far from being rejected becausehe has been asking questions, he is muchloved in that world that is the source ofall love. By far the most wonderful thingany human can hear is that he or she isloved by God. It brings stability andhope into the worst of situations.

Daniel was told this twenty-sixcenturies ago, and any one of us canknow it today. A heavenly Messenger,greater than the one sent to Daniel, has come to our world—God himself,


incarnate in his Son, Jesus Christ theLord. He came to tell us the good news:

For God so loved the world, that hegave his only Son, that whoeverbelieves in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Those people who respond and trusthim shall enjoy the friendship and loveof God eternally. They can hear thevoice of God himself saying to them, “O man, O woman, greatly loved.”

There are times when those of uswho are believers may find the way diffi-cult; we are faced with apparently unan-swerable questions and insoluble diffi-culties—many of them to do with theflow of life. It is at those times that wemost need reassurance that there is aworld beyond this one; there is a Godwho is real, and he loves me.

Daniel stood up, still shaking, asthe voice continued:

Fear not, Daniel, for from the first daythat you set your heart to understandand humbled yourself before your God,your words have been heard, and Ihave come because of your words. Theprince of the kingdom of Persia with-stood me twenty-one days, but Michael,one of the chief princes, came to helpme, for I was left there with the kingsof Persia, and came to make you under-stand what is to happen to your peoplein the latter days. For the vision is fordays yet to come. (Daniel 10:12–14)

These words give us insight into Daniel’sstate of mind as he began his three-weekfast. He wanted to understand, and so hehumbled himself before God. That is theway the heavenly world evaluated his atti-tude. Daniel’s life had been spent withproud men whom God had humbled. Goddid not need to bring Daniel down tohumble reality; he had humbled himself.

We all detest false humility—acloak of assumed lack of pride that isnot genuine. It is possible for us, however,to humble ourselves in a genuine waythat does not involve hypocrisy. Indeed,it is expected of Christians. The apostlePeter writes:

Clothe yourselves, all of you, withhumility towards one another, for Godopposes the proud but gives grace to thehumble. Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God so thatat the proper time he may exalt you,casting all your anxieties upon him,because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5–7)

It all has to do with our mindset and our attitude towards others. Instead ofregarding ourselves as more importantthan others, we are to consider othersbetter than ourselves.

Daniel had walked his whole lifewith kings and emperors. It had not goneto his head. In God’s eyes—and that iswhat counts—he was still a humble man.And the heavenly world was watchinghim. The moment Daniel started histhree-week fast to wait on God, theother world responded, and a messengerwas detailed to take a message to him.

A MESSENGER FROM HEAVENBut the messenger was hindered. This is an extraordinary statement. It opens a window into an unseen realm aboutwhich we know very little. The messengertells Daniel of a strange conflict in thatrealm: The prince of the kingdom of Persiawithstood me twenty-one days, but Michael,one of the chief princes, came to help me(Daniel 10:13). Prince Michael is men-tioned later in the vision as the greatprince who has charge of your people (12:1).

The skeptic will hoot with derisionif we add to our confession of faith inGod the belief that another realm existswhere there are supernatural beings—


EXTRAORDINARY FAITHDaniel’s story is one of extraordinary faith in God lived out at the

pinnacle of executive power. It tells of four teenage friends captured byNebuchadnezzar, emperor of Babylon, and how they eventually rose to the top echelons of administration in a pluralistic society antagonistic

to their faith. That is why this story has such a powerful message for us.

Available for purchase online at rzim.christianbook.com

RZIM Resources


angels and demons. Such laughter strikesme as decidedly out of place, especiallynowadays. If any scientist announceswith confidence that there is life else-where in the universe—or, as is very likelythese days, that there is a multiverse: aplurality of universes, many of which areteeming with life—there is no derision,but rather fascinated and respectfulattention. Yet when the Bible suggeststhat this may not be the only world (oruniverse), and there are other beings “out there,” it gets laughed to scorn. Thisis intellectually inconsistent, and simplyshows the depth of prejudice that thenaturalistic worldview has generated.

So far Daniel has given us verygood reason to take him seriously. He is an exceptionally brilliant and wise manwho has governed two empires, and hasbeen used by God to demonstrate to hisemperors that God and the supernaturalare real. He has not taken leave of hissenses here. As we have already seen aswe considered Gabriel’s role, both theOld and New Testament testify to thereality of angels. Christ himself said tothose who came to arrest him:

Do you think that I cannot appeal tomy Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?(Matthew 26:53–54)

Our Lord was not speaking metaphori-cally; he was explaining to Peter why heshould not try to protect him by force.Jesus could have summoned all the protection he needed from supernaturalangelic forces, but he chose not to.

Who or what are angels? The Bibletells us that they are ministering spiritssent out to serve for the sake of those who areto inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). Bycontrast we are told that humans are,from one point of view, a little lower thanthe angels (Hebrews 2:7) since they arespirit plus flesh. The term “spirit” doesnot mean that angels have no substantivebeing. Unfortunately, the influence ofmaterialism is so deep that many peopleunconsciously assume that matter is theonly reality. The truth is, matter is noteven the primary reality. Jesus taughtthat God is spirit (John 4:24), so spirit is the primary reality. Matter is derivative:All things were made through him (John 1:3).

There should therefore be no prob-lem in principle in accepting that Godhas made other beings that are spirit.Certainly, that is the claim of the Bible,and the book of Daniel in particular.

The angelic messenger reveals toDaniel that a battle is raging in anotherworld that in some sense reflects, andmay also be reflected by, the conflicts in this one. This idea recurs in the bookof Revelation:

Now war arose in heaven, Michaeland his angels fighting against thedragon. And the dragon and his angelsfought back, but he was defeated andthere was no longer any place for themin heaven. And the great dragon wasthrown down, that ancient serpent,who is called the devil and Satan, thedeceiver of the whole world—he wasthrown down to the earth, and hisangels were thrown down with him.(Revelation 12:7–9)

Paul tells all Christians that there are spiritual forces arrayedagainst them and that in order to stand firm they need to put onthe armor of God.

It needs to be emphasized that the ideaof a cosmic conflict is not some periph-eral notion, generated by the overheatedimagination of Christian extremists.Paul tells all Christians that there arespiritual forces arrayed against them andthat in order to stand firm they need toput on the armor of God:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against theschemes of the devil. For we do notwrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against theauthorities, against the cosmic powersover this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10–12)

Atheistic rejection of the supernaturaldimension can lead even Christians tounderestimate the forces of evil. Thispart of the book of Daniel would haveserved us well if it alerted us to take thelevel of the conflict seriously.

When Daniel heard that the angelhad come to tell him what would happento the Jewish nation in the latter days, heturned his face towards the ground andfound himself unable to speak. Someonewho looked like a man (but presumablywasn’t) touched his lips, which enabledDaniel to speak and describe the debili-tating effects of the vision. He wonderedhow he would have the strength to speakto such a superior being. Daniel sensedthat he was in the presence of a greatnessthat far exceeded his own.

Again the supernatural beingtouched and strengthened him, and toldhim once more that he was greatly loved.Then he asked Daniel if he knew why hehad come to him. Without waiting for a response, the angel said that he mustsoon return to fight in the ongoing spiri-tual war against the prince of Persia anda new foe, the prince of Greece, who was

yet to come. But first he would reveal toDaniel what was in the book of truth.

Before he did, however, there wasanother important piece of backgroundinformation that Daniel needed to know:

… there is none who contends by myside against these except Michael, your prince. And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stoodup to confirm and strengthen him [that is, Michael]. (Daniel 10:21—11:1)

In the supernatural battle with the mightyprinces of Medo-Persia and Greece,Daniel’s angelic messenger (whom wemay presume to be Gabriel) was aided byanother prince. His name was Michael,and Daniel is told that he is your prince…the great prince who has charge of your people(10:21; 12:1). It was Gabriel who hadstrengthened Michael at the beginning of Darius’s reign, though Daniel had notrealized it. Indeed he had probably notknown of his existence.

This takes Daniel’s mind back tothe very beginning of the Medo-Persiankingdom (and so to the first section ofthe second half of the book). Was themessenger informing Daniel that Gabriel,or Michael, or both of them, wereinvolved in rescuing Daniel from thelions’ den? Daniel was being assured that there was a mighty prince in a higherrealm, guarding his people. That knowl-edge would enable Daniel to face thecontents of the book of truth that wouldnow be opened to him.

John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics(emeritus) at the University of Oxfordand an adjunct speaker with RZIM.1 For a detailed examination of this issue see

John Lennox’s newest book, Determined ToBelieve: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith,and Human Responsibility (Oxford, England:Monarch Books, 2017). 2 J. Edward Young, The Prophecy of Daniel

(Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1949), 223.



Have Mercyon Us By Michelle Tepper

For Christians, prayer is more than remembrance,positive thinking, or a moment of silence onanother’s behalf. It is talking to God, our Father,who created this world and who passionatelyloves every single human being.

[ c o m f o r t a n d h o p e ]


FROM THE DEVASTATION wreaked byrecent hurricanes and wildfires to thehorrific massacre in Las Vegas to ourown deep, personal heartaches, we canunderstandably feel overwhelmed by themagnitude of such events and at a loss to know how to respond. In the wake ofsuch suffering, what I continually returnto is the “mere” prayer “Lord, havemercy, Christ, have mercy on us.”

One may ask, How can prayer be anappropriate or effective response to sufferingon this level? The truth is, in times likethese, even Christians struggle to find thewords, direction, or desire to respond inprayer. Yet, I am reminded of why prayeris, in fact, a powerfully appropriate andtangible response to suffering.

First, prayer opens hearts. For Christians,prayer is more than remembrance, posi-tive thinking, or a moment of silence on another’s behalf. It is talking to God,our Father, who created this world andwho passionately loves every singlehuman being. The Scriptures tell us thatHe is intensely moved when his childrensuffer and stands in solidarity with everyone of them in the midst of their pain:“As a father has compassion on his chil-dren, so the LORD has compassion onthose who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

Prayer not only opens our hearts toGod’s love but ought also to move, soft-en, and challenge hearts that have grownhard, cold, and indifferent to the needsof others. As God has been mercifultoward us, so we are called to showmercy and comfort to those in need.

Second, prayer is also a powerful outlet forgrief, emotional burdens, and honest commu-nication. It is a natural human reaction tolash out in anger or confusion when weare hurting. Prayer is a safe, eternalspace for those mourning to pour outraw grief without time limit, fear ofjudgment, or the need for repression.

Grieving takes time and needs space;prayer is space for the brokenhearted.

When I respond to tragedy throughprayer, I am comforted by a heavenlyFather who knows what it is like towatch his own precious son be killed inan act of selfish hatred. When my natu-ral response is to be paralyzed by anxietyor fear for the safety of my friends andfamily, in prayer I am reaching out intrust to the One who loves and cares forthose dearest to me as his very own.

Third, prayer opens doors. Throughout his-tory, communities of faith have led theway in relief and rescue responses intimes of national and internationaltragedy. Jesus told Peter to give evidenceof his devotion, asking him to “feed mysheep” (see John 21:15-17). Mother Teresawas guided to the poor of Calcuttathrough prayer as countless others havebeen in the wake of suffering. Prayer notonly gives the Christian an outlet forrequests; it is an opportunity to seek andreceive supernatural guidance, revela-tion, and wisdom from God Himself.When Christians use prayer in this way,it can be a powerful response to theareas of greatest need in a community.

Fourth, prayer opens minds. Christiansbelieve that prayer brings change, butsometimes it is not in the way weexpect. Prayers that start as frantic criesfor help or outpourings of raw emotionoften turn to confident declarations oftrust and focused hope.

In Matthew 6—the most famousprayer—we see this phenomenon atwork. As we are invited to ask God, OurFather, “Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts,” so also are wecalled to forgive others. Jesus teaches usto pray in a way that compels us to loveand forgive others in the same way thatwe want to be loved and forgiven. Weare reminded that God, our Father, is


personal, loving, and all-powerful. Thisknowledge invites us to trust that Hewill “deliver us from evil” when we feelpowerless to fight it on our own.

KYRIE ELEISONI mentioned that the “mere” prayer “Lord,have mercy, Christ, have mercy on us”often comes to mind in the midst of suf-fering and tragedy. I was first introducedto this petition through the Church ofEngland during my studies at Oxford.These words are from one of the oldestresponsive prayers of Christian liturgypracticed historically in both Eastern andWestern church traditions and they arestill used today. The prayer in its originalform, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, is derivedfrom the New Testament.1 It is used incorporate worship as a repeated refrainafter petitions are made to the Lord eitherby a pastor or a member of the congregationleading a time of communal intercessions.

The rhythm of petition andresponse creates space for the muchneeded yet often unpracticed communalprocessing of our shared human existence.Every petition said by the leader isanswered with a continual cry for mercy.

What does this cry for mercy sig-nify? How can it help us as we seek toprocess tragedy and suffering and alsosupport those in need?

“Lord, have mercy” is a cry for deliverance.

These are words of desperation. A cryfor mercy is a cry for help or deliverancefrom a burden that is too great to bear.The brutality of mass shootings orbombings shows a lack of regard forhuman life that is indeed pure evil. Howdo we fight evil? It is an invisible realitythat is powerful yet unpredictable, andoften only named in hindsight. The gov-ernment, first responders, friends, andfamily can at times predict, contain, legis-late, and act against evil. However, it is areality outside of our natural world that

we can never fully fight in our naturalcapacity alone. As we cry for mercy in theface of pure evil, we recognize our needfor power, relief, and compassion from asource more powerful than ourselves.

Uttering Kyrie Eleison is also an act of humility.

The prayer is both a statement and arequest. Our human need for supernatu-ral deliverance is declared as a request tothe Lord. “Lord, have mercy” is a state-ment of authority. It is a recognitionthat there is a God; we are not God andonly He is powerful enough to answerour request. This prayer for mercy forcesus out of our natural self-centerednessand back into alignment with the natureand character of our Creator.

The prayer is likewise a request for forgiveness.

Continual surrender to the lordship ofsomeone other than ourselves invites usto a continual need for repentance. TheChristian understanding of repentancespeaks of a change in thought, a turningof direction. The Christian worldviewagrees with the harsh diagnosis that weare all contributors to the evil weencounter in our world. The Bible refersto it as sin. Sin is separation from God.When we choose to define morality,meaning, justice, and truth based on ourown feelings and desires, or anythingother than our Holy God, we are sepa-rated from the eternal and true source oflove and goodness. Our sin separates usfrom God; but we cannot live with theevil that comes from our separation. It is upon this recognition that we cry out“Christ, have mercy.”

Jesus came to restore our relation-ship with God. He sacrificed his life todeliver us from the burden of our sins.On the cross, he took the just punish-ment we deserved upon himself so thatwe could receive the forgiveness and


mercy we desperately need. So then wemust also ask ourselves, How can we cryfor deliverance from the evil happening to us until we cry for mercy and forgiveness for the evil that happens through us?

Finally, Kyrie Eleison is a statement of hope.

It is through the life, death, and resur-rection of Jesus that we have the blessedassurance that anyone who believes and receives Christ as Lord will receivemercy. The beauty of the good news ofJesus is that God is constantly demon-strating his love and showing mercy evenbefore we realize our need. The biblicalunderstanding of mercy is always linkedto the compassion God has for humani-ty. He is the God who suffers alongsidehis children; He is the God of all com-fort who comes alongside us in tragedy,and He is the healer and restorer of oursouls. When we cry out for mercy onbehalf of others, we are asking God tobring supernatural comfort and healingto our broken world.

Biblical scholars offer a beautifuldescription of mercy to unpack thispowerful aspect of the Kyrie eleison prayer:

The word mercy in English is thetranslation of the Greek word eleos.This word has the same ultimateroot as the old Greek word for oil,or more precisely, olive oil; a sub-stance which was used extensivelyas a soothing agent for bruises andminor wounds. The oil was pouredonto the wound and gently mas-saged in, thus soothing, comfortingand making whole the injured part.The Hebrew word which is alsotranslated as eleos and mercy ishesed, and means steadfast love. TheGreek words for “Lord, have mercy,”are “Kyrie eleison,” that is to say,“Lord, soothe me, comfort me, takeaway my pain, show me your stead-

fast love.” Thus mercy does notrefer so much to justice or acquittal,a very Western interpretation, butto the infinite loving-kindness ofGod, and his compassion for hissuffering children! It is in this sensethat we pray “Lord, have mercy,”with great frequency throughoutthe Divine Liturgy.2

“Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercyon us” is a prayer that signifies our needfor deliverance, forgiveness, and healingthat comes from Christ alone. It is aprayer that moves us from self-centered toGod-centered living and offers hope andhealing to our hearts and our broken world.

How can we respond when we feeloverwhelmed by the things of this world?Might we find hope and comfort inprayer, for it is a humble recognition thatwe are all in need of God’s love, grace,forgiveness, and rescue. The more we arefaced with that reality, the more we arefilled with the gentleness and respect wedesperately need in order to pour outlove on all, regardless of what they believe,how they respond, or how vast our differences may seem. Prayer empowersus to love well, give grace, and to contin-ually see the best, pushing us out fromourselves to the needs of others.

Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy on us all.

Michelle Tepper is a member of the speakingand writing team at RZIM.

1 See, for instance, among others, Matthew15:22 and 20:30-31; Mark 10:46, and Luke 18:39.2 Benjamin D. Williams and Harold B. Anstall,Orthodox Worship, A Living Continuity With theTemple, the Synagogue and the Early Church(Minneapolis: Light and Life PublishingCo.,1990), quoted in Anthony M. Coniaris,“Kyrie Eleison, Lord Have Mercy,” online athttps://www.goarch.org/-/kyrie-eleison-lord-have-mercy.


TIME AND AGAIN I have found myselfdrawn to the story of Zechariah and hiswife, Elizabeth, which Luke records inthe first chapter of his Gospel. You willrecall that Elizabeth was barren and theywere both well advanced in years.However, unlike Abraham and Sarah, asfar as we know, Zechariah and Elizabethhad not been given any promise of achild. They were living in a period ofsilence, as some Bible scholars call it: Ithad been over 400 years since God hadspoken of a coming Redeemer and hisforerunner through the prophet Malachi.

Moreover, though year after yearZechariah served in the temple, the lotsalways fell to someone else to performthe evening offering of incense—a oncein a lifetime privilege. Who knew howmany times the lots overlooked him?Nevertheless, Zechariah and Elizabethheld onto God and did not forget hiswords; as Luke tells us, “Both of themwere upright in the sight of God, observ-ing all the Lord’s commandments andregulations blamelessly” (1:6).

“God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already,”theologian J.I. Packer reminds us, “and allthe good that you hope for in the future.This is the fundamental philosophy ofChristian prayer. The prayer of a Christianis not an attempt to force God’s hand,but a humble acknowledgement of help-lessness and dependence. When we areon our knees, we know that it is not wewho control the world; it is not in ourpower, therefore, to supply our needs byour own independent efforts; every goodthing that we desire for ourselves and forothers must be sought from God, andwill come, if it comes at all, as a gift fromHis hands.”1

Evening PrayerBy Danielle DuRant


And how many momentsbefore the angel appeared,

startling silence—

Do not be afraid. Your prayer has been heard.

In a breatha fragrant offering descends:Your wife will bear you a son.

Suddenly,a rush of air—the weight of longing—

burning your lungs.

Zechariah.

Gasping,did you believe Godspeaks to

someone else—your name

forgotten?

Zechariah.

The LORD remembers.

Zechariah’s name means “TheLORD remembers.” And He did.

Danielle DuRant is Director of Researchand Writing at Ravi ZachariasInternational Ministries.

1 J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1961), 11.

O LORD, I call to you; come quickly tome. Hear my voice when I call to you.May my prayer be set before you likeincense; may the lifting up of my handsbe like the evening sacrifice.(Psalm 141:1, 2)

Evening Prayer

Howmany decadeshad the prayer been uttered?Only to be met with

seeming silence.How many decadeshad the lots been cast?Only to fall to

someone else.

“O LORD, assuage this longing.”

Did hope expire like hot breathwhen passion driedwith the passing of time

forgotten?Did prayer taste like ashes

smoldering bringing tears to the eyes?

Yet when one evening cast its shadows and lots,it did fall to youonce to burn before the Lord

a sweet aroma.Did your prayer rise up with hopeor fear descend like smoke

choking you?

Sure Footing

By Ravi Zacharias

Think Again

Isat with a man in my car who sharedwith me a series of heartbreaks hehad experienced. “There were just a

few things I had wanted in life,” he said.“None of them has turned out the way Ihad prayed…. Not only have my prayersamounted to nothing—the exact oppo-site has happened. Don’t even ask me ifyou can pray for me. I am left with notrust of any kind in such things.”

I felt two emotions rising up with-in me as I listened. The first was one ofgenuine sorrow. He felt that he hadtried, that he had done his part, but thatGod hadn’t lived up to his end of thedeal. The second emotion was one ofhelplessness, as I wondered where tobegin trying to help him.

Over the years I’ve met many peoplewho have expressed similar experiences—and if we are being honest, who of ushas not sensed this frustration, dejection,and confusion over prayer? On the otherhand, I have also known countless individuals who have witnessed God’sdramatic intervention or certain answerto a request laid before Him.

Prayer is a constant reminder thatwe are not autonomous. Prayer, in itsmost basic form, is the surging of thehuman spirit in its weakness, grasping at the Spirit of God in his strength.Sometimes mere words cannot giveshape to the longing of the heart.

Prayer, then, is a reminder thatGod is transcendent, all-powerful, andpersonal. As such, we may react withanger or withdrawal when we feel Godhas let us down by not giving us thingswe felt were legitimate to ask of Him.We may feel guilty that our expectations

toward God were too great. We may feelthat God has not answered our prayersbecause of something lacking in our-selves. We may compare ourselves withothers whose every wish seems to begranted by God, and wonder why Hehasn’t come through for us in the wayHe does for others. And sometimes weallow this disappointment in God to fester and eat away at our faith in Himuntil the years go by and we find our-selves bereft of belief.

And yet, I would suggest thatprayer is far more complex than somemake it out to be. There is much moreinvolved than merely asking for some-thing and receiving it. For every personwho feels that prayer has not “worked”for them and has since abandoned God,there is someone else for whom prayerremains a vital part of her life, sustainingher even when her prayers have goneunanswered, because her belief and trustis not only in the power of prayer butalso in the very character and wisdom of God. That is, God is the focus of suchprayer, and He is the One who sustainsand preserves one’s faith.

Saint John Chrysostom wrote ofthe power of prayer:

The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire, it hath bridled the rage of lions,hushed anarchy to rest; extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons,burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven,assuaged diseases, repelled frauds,rescued cities from destruction,stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt.

Who can read that and not be temptedto exclaim, “Is that mere rhetoric?” No,not so. Each of the instances referred toby Chrysostom is drawn right out of theScriptures. The Bible talks about the



privilege of prayer and cautions againstinsincere prayer. Whether we’re talkingabout the Welsh Revival or that in theHebrides or the Second EvangelicalAwakening in America, each had onething in common: concerted prayer overa protracted period of time.

Often as a student years ago Iwould read stories of those revivals andtheir foundations of prayer, and I wouldthink, That’s what I want to build my lifeon—on the solid footing of prayer. My libraryis full of books on prayer. One would thinkthat with each passing year the disciplineof prayer would get easier, but in fact itdoesn’t. Whether early in the morningor late at night, it is always a challenge.But as God has proved Himself in histime and his way, I have no doubt in myheart that prayer makes a difference.

Indeed, no one is a better instructoron prayer than Jesus himself. Scripturestell us that Jesus spent time in prayer,evidencing its vital importance: at hisbaptism (Luke 3:21); on the occasion ofhis transfiguration (Luke 9:29); at theselection of his twelve disciples (Luke6:12); at the Last Supper (John 17:1-26);before his arrest in Gethsemane(Matthew 26:36–46); and at his cruelexecution on the cross (prayers that arerecorded by all four gospel writers).

Likewise, on the heels of the Lord’sPrayer and as his conclusion to it, Jesusencourages his disciples to pray, saying,“Which of you fathers, if your son asksfor a fish, will give him a snake instead?Or if he asks for an egg, will give him ascorpion?” (Luke 11:11-12). Then he givesthe key to the whole passage that beginswith his model prayer, Our Father: “Howmuch more will your Father in heavengive the Holy Spirit to those who askhim!” (verse 13).

Jesus tells us that God will give theHoly Spirit, his indwelling presence, tothose who ask. That is the whole pointof the prayer. God will give the gift ofhis indwelling presence to any who asks—this is an absolute certainty! You can

count on it! The Holy Spirit of Godprompts us in prayer, prays for us whenwe don’t have the words to pray for ourselves, and comforts us in our timesof need. God is both the enabler of ourprayers and the provider of answers tothose prayers. God’s indwelling presenceconditions us to receive whatever answerHe gives to us. If you are a prayingChristian, your relationship with Godwill carry your faith. If you are not apraying Christian, you have to carry yourfaith—and you will get exhausted tryingto carry the infinite. Sometimes thegreater miracle is not in an answeredprayer but in a transformed heart.Miracles can come and go but the justshall live by his or her faithfulness. Infact, the Scriptures speak of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I wonder if perhaps the reason wesometimes have the false sense that Godis so far away is because that is where wehave put Him. We have kept Him at adistance, and then when we are in needand call on Him in prayer, we wonderwhere He is. He is exactly where we leftHim. Or, we have turned prayer into ameans to our ends and seldom wait onGod’s response long enough to thinkabout what He wants for us in that verymoment.

And yet, the ultimate aim of prayeris that Jesus intends to make his homewithin the life of the supplicant—to givethe gift of God’s indwelling Spirit—toeach of us who calls upon God: “Behold,I stand at the door and knock. If anyonehears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him,and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Whatan intimate invitation and amazing giftwe are offered!

Warm Regards,

Ravi

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O LORD, I call to you; come quicklyto me. Hear my voice when I call toyou. May my prayer be set before youlike incense; may the lifting up of myhands be like the evening sacrifice.—Psalm 141:1, 2

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JU RTAVI ZAHCHARIIAS NINTERNKATIONAIL NMINISTRGIES N · overjoyed. Now he would be able to play football with the other boys. The relentless teasing would cease and he wouldn’t