Are You Livin' on a Prayer?

By Pastor Kevin Van Wyk
Do you remember the infamous Bon Jovi song? I never paid much attention to the words, but I took a closer look. Poor Tommy and Gina, life was hard and all they had was each other. Well, and a prayer. For some reason, I don’t think the authors had thought much about the meaning of livin’ on a prayer either. Who’s prayer was this? What was it asking for? How did this prayer help them survive and continue to live?
 
After reading Revelation 8 and seeing an angel bring a bowl with incense and “the prayers of all God’s people” to the altar before the throne of God, I wondered, is that happening now? The position in Revelation leads me to think these events have not yet happened, but we also certainly believe our prayers do come before God the Father. Can you imagine the glorious scene in heaven as your prayers are mingled with the incense and millions of other prayers before the Father? 
 
Then add the prayers of the Holy Spirit. Consider when you just don’t know what to pray. He is there stirring wordless prayers and interceding for us!
 
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Rom. 8:26-27)
 
Oh! There is more. Now add to the scene the prayers of Jesus our high priest.
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need… (Heb. 7:23-26)
 
Did Desmond Child, John Bon Jovi, and Sambora Richard consider the prayers of God’s people, the prayers of the Holy Spirit, or the prayers of Jesus? Certainly, the song implies living in a hopeless state. “Livin’ on a Prayer” is not a statement of faith, as we might hope. It was a sad reflection of being down and out, but determined to survive. “Take my hand and we’ll make it, I swear.” 
 
You are living on more than a prayer. No doubt, some believers around you are praying for you. The Spirit and the Son are praying for you. Don’t give up on life and don’t think it all depends on you or your prayers. Set aside some time to offer your heart and prayers to the Lord. 
 
Join me in praying…

• Pray for your family to know and trust Jesus. Ask God to stir a deep desire for his Word in their hearts.
• Lift up those in our church who are ill or struggling with difficult issues. Check the back of our bulletin for a list.
• Pray for our consistory and staff as we seek to discern specific initiatives God wants us to take on this year.
• Pray for our elders, pastors, the leaders of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, other local RCA churches, and the RCA leadership as we all sort through our future.