Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Prayer Sermon Analysis: Key Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' prayers?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' prayers primarily focus on acknowledging God's sovereignty, grace, and mercy. Throughout his prayers, he consistently emphasizes God's goodness despite human unworthiness. As he states: "O God, we know that were it not for thy goodness and for thy mercy and for thy compassion and long suffering, we would have been left to ourselves." His prayers center on thanksgiving for God's patience with human failing and recognition that believers are "what we are by thy grace."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones view the relationship between God and time?

Lloyd-Jones articulates a profound understanding that God exists outside of human time constraints. He acknowledges: "We realize that thou art outside time from eternity to eternity, and we realize that thou hast put eternity into our hearts." This theological perspective helps his listeners understand that while humans measure life by calendars and years, God operates from an eternal perspective that transcends temporal limitations.

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the greatest need of the Church?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the greatest need of the Church is revival through the power of the Holy Spirit. He prays: "O God, we pray thee that thou wouldst so fill thy church and thy people with thy Holy Spirit, that thy work may be revived in a mighty manner everywhere throughout the world." He believes that only through spiritual renewal can the Church effectively impact a world characterized by "godlessness and irreligion rampant in this city and in this country and throughout the world."

How does Lloyd-Jones address spiritual discouragement in his prayers?

Lloyd-Jones consistently encourages believers facing discouragement by reminding them of God's faithfulness. He prays for those in difficult ministry settings: "We especially pray for those of thy servants who are set in difficult and trying and discouraging places. O, wilt thou establish them and strengthen them and enable them to know that their labor can never be in vain in the Lord." He offers assurance that God's power makes spiritual success possible despite challenging circumstances.

What is Lloyd-Jones' view of the means of grace?

Lloyd-Jones acknowledges the value of the "means of grace" (spiritual disciplines and church practices) while warning against treating them as ends in themselves. He confesses: "We are conscious of the fact that oftentimes we have been content with the means of grace, and have stopped at them instead of using them and implying them to bring us unto thyself and into a living relationship with thee." His prayers emphasize that spiritual practices should always lead to deeper relationship with God rather than becoming mere religious routines.

How does Lloyd-Jones address the topic of assurance of salvation?

Lloyd-Jones recognizes the importance of believers having certainty about their salvation. He prays: "We thank thee for the faith we have. But, O Lord, we all pray that thou wouldst grant us more and more that assurance clear." He emphasizes that assurance comes through the Holy Spirit's work: "Grant that all thy people, thy dear children here gathered, may know, as they've never known before, the spirit, bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God."

What distinctive theological perspective does Lloyd-Jones have regarding God's eternal plan of salvation?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the eternal nature of God's redemptive plan: "We thank thee, O God, for bringing us to see more and more that it is something which is eternal, something that was worked out and elaborated even before the very foundation of the world itself, something which goes on until sin and evil shall finally be destroyed." This perspective places individual salvation within God's larger cosmic purpose that extends from before creation to the ultimate restoration of all things.

How does Lloyd-Jones address the issue of human suffering in his prayers?

Lloyd-Jones approaches suffering with pastoral sensitivity, acknowledging various forms of human pain while pointing to God's comfort. He prays for "those who are old and infirm," "the sick in mind and the sick in body," and "the bereaved and sorrowing those to whom a new year has no hope and no brightness." His prayers offer specific comfort by directing sufferers to eternal perspective: "Grant them such a view of the glory that awaits all who are in Christ, that they will look forward with a new hope."

What role does confession play in Lloyd-Jones' prayers?

Confession features prominently in Lloyd-Jones' prayers as he acknowledges human failure and spiritual inadequacy. He admits: "For we have so often failed thee, we have so often broken our own vows and pledges, we have failed so frequently to come up even to our own standard." This honest confession is always coupled with trust in God's forgiveness: "We pray therefore, that all such may know the blessed cleansing, and may know that they are restored unto thee."

How does Lloyd-Jones view the Christian's relationship to the world?

Lloyd-Jones portrays the Christian life as a spiritual battle against worldly influences. He prays: "O enable us, we pray thee then more and more to set our affections on these things, and we thy ourselves and all our pulses from this present evil world." While acknowledging Christians must live in the world, he emphasizes they should not be defined by worldly values, praying instead that God would "grant that everything small and unworthy and mean, and which belongs only to time and to earth, shall be driven and swept out of our lives."