I Want the Men

David prayed in Psalm 12:1, “Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be.” The prayer is not a long winded request of the Lord. The same prayer should be on the lips of God’s children today. We need men to be godly men. Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:8 saying “I want the men.” There is a call from scripture for godly men that has echoed through the ages. Paul’s call for the men gives us a bit of insight about the makeup of godly men.

In 1 Timothy 2:8, we see first that men are called to be men of worship. Based on the call to prayer, the desire of God, and the sacrifice of Christ in the previous verses, men have a responsibility to engage worship. I think of a dear devoted man named Simeon who was a devout and righteous man. Simeon was looking for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. One day Simeon came to the temple by the Holy Spirit of God. On this day Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to the temple to present Him to the Lord. Simeon saw Jesus and took Him in his arms. The scriptures tell us that Simeon blessed God. What an awesome picture of worship. We see a man whose entire hopes were fulfilled in Christ. His greatest desire was to see Jesus. He believed in Him whom he had not seen. When at last Simeon saw Jesus his heart overflowed with worship.

Secondly, we see that men are called to prayer. Jesus taught us that prayer was not a suggested activity. Rather, He instructed us in Matthew 6:5, “When you pray.” Notice Jesus did not say, “If you pray.” Men have so many things to pray about. Perhaps, your prayer life seems dull and routine. You find yourself praying the same things over and over every day. May I make a few suggestions? Pray for your brothers in Christ. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.” Pray to overcome temptation. The Bible says in Luke 22:40, “When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Pray for all the saints. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Pray for those who persecute you. The Bible says in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Pray for the gospel to be proclaimed. The Bible says in Colossians 4:3, “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned.” I encourage men to have a large vision for prayer.

Thirdly, we see that men are called to have clean hands. Men are to lift up holy hands. Our worship of God can be on bended knee, prostrate before the Lord, with our eyes lifted toward heaven, or sitting down. There are various postures of worship throughout the Bible. However, what is absolutely necessary is that the hands of the men are clean. The Bible says in Psalm 24:3-4, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.” May men everywhere run to the Lord Jesus seeking His cleansing of their hands and hearts.

I want the men! May the Lord raise up godly men in this generation. May there be a great ambition in the heart of every man to be God’s man. Have a great day!