Prayer - God, make me tired!

Tonight I prayed with my wife and 9 year old as we were putting the 9 year old to bed.

Background: every night we pray with our daughter. Usually 1, 2, or all 3 of us will pray that we all get the sleep we need. Why, you might ask? Is it just habit and we aren't thinking about our prayers?? Nope. It is a sad reality that the parents in this house haven't been getting the kind of sleep they need for over 6 months. Not consistently anyway.

So, tonight, I changed it up. I've been feeling very burdened/motivated to get the sleep I need and encourage my wife to do the same. So, tonight I prayed and I didn't ask God to help us get the sleep we need. I knew that the lack of sleep was in our hands because we were making life choices that weren't conducive to getting sleep. So, tonight I switched it up. I prayed that God would make us tired so that we would go to bed when we needed to. *sigh*

I'm exhausted while I write this, but it's it just after 9:30 and I am going to bed!

Here's the challenge for today then. Do you take things to God constantly, but find that you are hindering the results? Then change up the prayer.

Need sleep? Pray that God will help you be tired.

Need to watch the sweets because you can't seem to stop eating what is in the house? Pray for either a tooth ache or less money so you'll stop buying the extras.

Have a sin/addiction problem? Don't pray that God will help you resist, pray that you will get caught!

The point is this. We can pray and say, "God, I need help in this area. I don't know how to pray about it, but would you work in my life to bring about XYZ result? Would you also give me wisdom if that's what is needed to get this done?"

That whole, "when we don't know what to pray" thing also falls into these categories too!

So, get on your knees today and pray outside of the box and see how God helps bring about change in our life.

To God be the glory.

Prayer - I didn't pray today

Confession time. I was getting ready to blog tonight and I realized that I don't remember praying today. Not meaningfully anyway. I prayed for a meal or two. I prayed with my daughter before bed. But I don't remember praying to my heavenly Father...just because. Or for any need. Or to say thank you.

This was one of those days I've been warning about. The days where nothing goes really wrong or really super amazing or really anything. Don't get me wrong. It was a good day. I went to work (I have a job), I put both girls to bed, I played a game with my 9 year old for about 2 hours, and I put a play kitchen together for the 2 year old. Good things. Great things.


....but I didn't "need" God. At least, not at a conscious level. Which is both scary and sad.


So, I'm going to take my own advice. I'm going to save this post and I'm going to stop and pray.

How about you? Did you pray at all yesterday? Meaningfully? When are you going to today? Right now or "later"??


Let's all make the effort to intentionally pray today!!



To God be the glory.

Prayer - Cry out to God!!

Psalm 61:1-4 says:

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Something I keep coming back to in my thoughts is that it is so much easier for us to pray in the midst of struggle. It's the easy, coasting times that are hardest to pray. This is, as I have mentioned before, mostly because we don't need to depend on God when things are going well. It's easy to forget that God is providing for our daily needs when we are the ones going to work, paying the bills, buying the food, etc.

But, when we are in distress. Then, it is easier to cry out to God and lean on Him for strength. To beg Him for wisdom.

...but that isn't right. It's natural, but it isn't right. We should be running to God when life is going well AS WELL AS when things are tough.

I love this chapter in Psalms. This 61st Psalm. It is a cry to God that recognizes our weakness. That we call when we are weak and weary. That God is our refuge and strength from enemies. I love this chapter because I don't have to feel alone in my natural tendency to go to God quickest when life is in turmoil. The Psalmist is admitting that he goes to God when he is in trouble. And we should too! The reason I am constantly trying to encourage us to go to God all the rest of the time is that a) it will be that much easier to go to God in distress if we have a habit of doing so when we aren't in distress and b) if we truly love the God who loves us then we owe it to that relationship to go to God at all times. I don't, however, want to miss out on the blessed reality that we can and should go to God for protection, comfort, and strength in times of trouble.

To GOD be the glory!!

Prayer - when you don't know what to pray

I was actually struggling to come up with a topic for today. So, I asked my wife if she had any ideas and she almost immediately said, "what to pray when you don't know what to pray."

I LOVE this topic. It's one of my favorites. Because it is a topic that involves falling back on our faith and often in hard times

What do I mean by that? Well, let's see. If we don't know what to pray:

Do we believe the Bible? Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us when we don't know what to pray for. Do we believe that?

Do we believe that God will keep the promises we have in the Bible? James 1:5 (really the whole chapter) tells us that if we lack wisdom, and we ask in faith, that God will give us wisdom and give it liberally. So, if we don't know what to pray for and mean it in this sense of needing wisdom to know what to pray, then do we believe the promise of James 1?

Do we believe that God knows us better than we know ourselves? That is, He knows our frame and that we are made of dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows that sometimes grief, confusion, and even anger can leave us speechless before God.

And yet, if we are in a mindset of praying, even if it is pray to God to admit the reality that we don't know what to pray, then we are already in a good place. We aren't ignoring God. We aren't doing life on our own. We are turning to Him even to admit that we are at a loss for words.

There is so much more to this topic, but this is a great start. For starters, remember that it is no surprise to God when we don't know what to pray, that the Spirit of God is working to intercede for us, that we can and should admit to God that we don't know what to pray, and that we can trust how much God loves us and doesn't want to leave us in a state of confusion, frustration, anger, etc.

To God be the glory.

Prayer - God, God, God

I am glad that we worship a God who is loving, just, patient, and forgiving.

We also worship a God who is jealous (for the worship that He deserves), can be angered, and who does not allow sin to go unchecked. I'm glad for those things, but they are also scarier to me when they are pointed at me!

And yet.

And yet.

Prayer is communication. It is having a relationship with a God who loves me. Who loved me so much that, before I was born and knowing how sinful and rebellious I would be, He sent Jesus to die a cruel death so that my sins would be forgiven. That same God wants to talk to me and has encouraged me to do so.

And yet.

I know that God wants the best for me. I know that He knows what is best for me better than I do. I know that He wants me to pray about things and then trust Him with the results.

And yet.

I know that He is the creator of the universe and everything in it. That He has had ultimate victory over sin and death and we are just waiting for the time when He returns to take us home.

And yet.

And yet I still find it hard to get into a habit and lifestyle of praying. Is it just me, or should that be offensive to God. Shouldn't God be angry with me for slighting Him by ignoring His constant presence as often as I do? Thoughts??


To God be the glory!

Prayer challenge 2 - the local church

Did you take advantage of yesterday's challenge to be thankful and praise God as often as you could?? I hope so. I know I did and I was encouraged by the things that I was stretching myself to thank God for that I often don't take the time to.

Today's challenge relates to our churches. I want to start by saying that the Church is God's, not ours. When I'm talking about the church today, I specifically mean the local church.

Just to spice things up, let's not make it a "whenever you think about it" sort of challenge. Rather, let's make it a 10 minute challenge. 10 minutes. What is that really? one-third of most evening shows. The difference between 6:30 of sleep and 6:20 of sleep. So, take 10 minutes and spend some time in prayer today!

1. Do you attend a healthy church? Where things seem to be going alright. Sure, there are issues - it's full of people after all. But all in all you would say that your church is doing really well. Then you could pray that a) God will continue that health, b) that God will help you (individually or as a church) not to become complacent during this time, and/or c) that if you are or have become complacent that God will shake things up!

2. Are you at a church that doesn't have a pastor right now? I know that in our area there are three or four different churches without pastors. You can pray that God will direct the leadership of your church and give them wisdom during this time, that you (individually and as a church) will grow and learn the lessons God would have for you during this time, that God would be working in the life of the man/family that He has for your church, and/or that God would continue to be encouraging and uplifting your previous pastor.

3. Are you a missionary who is on the field (either here in the states or internationally)? You can pray for your own church/work (like I needed to mention that), you can pray for your sending church, you can pray for your other supporting churches, and/or you can pray for the other churches in your area or your previous hometown and the ministries that God is working through in those churches. (All of this applies to all of the rest of us too!)

4. Are you not currently attending a church? Then you can pray for the church that God has for you, pray for the church you last attended, and/or pray that God will work in your heart to give you the desire to be in church.

See, there are so many ways that we can pray for our churches. Some of these things fit into other categories and I certainly haven't covered everything.

So remember, 10 minutes. Anytime today.

To God be the glory.

Prayer challenge 1: praising my savior, all the day long

We've done all this talking about prayer (well, I've talked/typed and you've been listening/reading) and I hope that you've put some of it into action and been encouraged to pray more. however, I want to set us a challenge for today.

As you go through the day, I want you to take every moment that you think about it and find something to praise God for or something to thank Him about. You can pick an attribute of God (one of the omnis, etc.) or you can look to his grace, his love, etc. You can thank Him for big things (the family you have, the safety we have in our country so far, the church He has allowed you to be in) or the little things (your car on the way to work, the children that drive you crazy today, etc). Just pick something and praise God or thank Him.

Then I would like you, at the end of the day or tomorrow, to either post on this blog or on Facebook and tell all of us a way that God encouraged you through you praising and thanking Him throughout the day.

Let's not only be encouraged to pray and to be grateful, but let's encourage each other to it as well.


To God be the glory.

Prayer - practical application

We were heading home from our trip today and we had a moment come up.

Pam was driving, we were all tired from a 4-day trip and a long day of driving, and suddenly the low fuel light came on. We were on I-35 in northern Iowa. If you know that stretch, you know that gas stations aren't coming up every few miles to say the least. So, Pam asked me to stop and pray. So, I stopped and prayed out loud.

I should have thought of this as a teaching moment for Maya K at least, but I didn't. I just thought that I hoped we would find a gas station. However, that isn't all that I prayed for. I prayed that we would, but that if we didn't that God would give us the grace and wisdom to get through the alternative.

Well, we found a gas station. Then we saw a rest stop across the street so we went over to let the girls get out and run. We still had another hour of driving to get home and knew they were as done with the trip as we were.

So, they got out and ran and had some great time getting stretched. We got back in the van and within 2 minutes it started raining. So, we THEN took advantage of a teaching moment....for ourselves and for Maya K.

We asked Maya K to pray and to thank God that we got to a gas station AND to thank God that it waited to rain so that the girls could play a little. It was something small and we hadn't asked for it, but it was an encouragement to us as the parents and good for the girls' spirits too!

So, we were reminded to A) thank God for answered prayer and B) to thank God for things we didn't even think to ask for!


To God be the glory.

Prayer - the human race

I saw an article today with that title and I read it as "The Human Race." That fits with hot topics of the day so I clicked to read it.

Instead, I got something that fits our themes of prayer so much that I'm going to share the article with you!

"The alarm clock goes off. Too early, it seems. But you have a long day ahead. You have work to do, appointment to keep, people to care for, or all this and more. Well, you are not alone. Each day, many of us rush from one matter to another. As someone has wittily suggested, 'That's why we are called the human race.'

When the apostles returned from their first mission trip, they had a lot to report. But Mark did not record Jesus's evaluation of the disciples' work; rather, he focused on His concern that they rest awhile. Jesus said, 'Come with my by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest' (6:31).

Ultimately, we find true rest through recognizing the presence of God and trusting Him. While we take our responsibilities seriously, we also recognize that we can relax our grip on our work and careers, our families and ministry, and give them over to God in faith. We can take time each day to tune out the distractions, put away the tense restlessness, and reflect in gratitude on the wonder of God's love and faithfulness.

So feel free to stop and take a breath. Get some real rest." - Poh Fang Chia


I would also argue that we need to take this time to rest so that we can spend some of that time in prayer. Many times our busyness takes away at least as much prayer time as our forgetting God's presence and underestimating His power. When are we going to learn that we need to slow down in order to be at peace enough to talk to (and be talked to by) God?


To God be the glory.

Prayer - a country in need

I don't have much to say today. Our country is in need of some bi-partisan prayer.

Pray for our current leadership.
Pray for the elections - not just the results but that people will get out and vote.
Pray for the elections - for wisdom to make a decision that is God-honoring.
Pray for our next round of leaders - not just the president and vice president but the Congress as well as local officials that will be elected.

I have often said that if you don't exercise your right to vote, then you lose your right to complain.

Well, I would argue that if you don't exercise your right to pray for our nation, then you can't complain if Satan wins and we lose here at home. So, take a few minutes and pray for our nation!!


To GOD be the glory!!

Prayer - days without crisis

Prayer. It's something we know we should do more of, yet something that many of us struggle to do. I know this is true simply because we have the label of "prayer warrior" for the wonderful people we know who do pray often. This title, and our reverence for it, assumes that there are NOT a lot of them.

So, here is something else I've noticed in my life. It is SO much easier to pray during times of stress/sorrow. This may go back to my post two days ago about God's power and thinking too much of myself and my abilities. In fact, I'm sure that plays a role in it, but I'm sure there is more to it than just that.

Anyway, the point is that those hard moments, when we finally realize our weakness and are prepared to ask God for help, are the moments when we are quickest to go to God.

But, what about a day like today. A day when nothing went wrong. When we didn't have any crisis. The children didn't cut anything or light anything on fire. Our car did all the traveling we asked it to do and we didn't have any issues. We enjoyed some time with family. No one got sick.... I mean, what do I have to pray about???

I can be thankful for how things didn't go wrong. I can pray for tomorrow. I can acknowledge God's sovereignty. I can pray over my prayer list and another missionary family. And so on and so forth. There is so much, but it is easy for me to forget anyway.

Hopefully you saw the folly in my statement "what do I have to pray about" and hopefully it was easy for you to spot it. But, is it as easy to spot it in the days when you don't take time to pray?

Victory doesn't come by accident. Let's be intentional about praying every day. Showing our gratitude and acknowledging who God is!!


To God be the glory. 

Prayer - God's presence

Yesterday we talked about God's power. Today, we are going to talk about His presence.

When we talked about experts in yesterday's blog, one thing we have to also discuss is the immediacy of the help we need.

Let's take the electrician analogy again.

If we need immediate help, we aren't going to write a letter to an electrician requesting that they come....three days ago when I sent the letter.

If we need immediate help we aren't going to rely on a text or e-mail either. Sure, they are much faster than snail mail, but there is no guarantee that the message will be received immediately and that doesn't even account for the delays that come simply from sending the information from one device to another.

A phone call. That's better, for sure. Again, however, you are dependent on them being on the other side of the phone and being able to answer themselves. What if their lines are busy because this is a wide-spread electrical problem? What if they are out to lunch? (Thankfully God will never be out to lunch or hearing so many prayers that He can't hear yours!!)

No, the BEST method to guarantee the help of an expert when it is needed immediately...it to have a face-to-face conversation. To talk to someone who is right there with you.

So, since this is about God and prayer, how immediate can God's help be? Where is His "presence"?

In Joshua 1:1-9 we see God talking to Joshua as He hands the reigns from Moses to Joshua as leader of the Israelites. Twice in this passage we see God promise Joshua that He is with him. Once He says that He will never leave or forsake Joshua and once that God will be with him wherever he goes.

Psalm 23:4 notes that "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

Psalm 46:1 is really cool. The Hebrew word that is translated "present" here comes from the root "to find" and gives the idea that "God is our refuge and strength, a very findable help in trouble."

Psalm 139 is an amazing Psalm in general. Specifically, read the first 12 verses. These are a great reminder of God and his presence. (Please read those 12 verses through the link and then before moving on. It's worth it.) I especially loves verse 4. "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether."

Matthew 18:20 reminds us that where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is there.

Matthew 28:19-20 is great. Many of us know the great commission and are aware that we are told that while we are going, we are to make disciples, teach, and baptize. However, the great truth here is at the end where Christ says, "behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

John 14:16 we see Jesus promising to ask the Father to send the Spirit to us as a "Helper" which we know did happen in the book of Acts.

Lastly, in I John 4:13-16 we see the apostle John reinforcing the idea that God abides (dwells) in us and we abide in Him. 

God's presence is a constant. Our awareness of His presence isn't though. So, our two keys are God's power and God's presence. There are other things that are also important in prayer, but I can promise you that if at any point we lack one of these, we will not have a healthy prayer life. If we forget, diminish, or disregard the power of God or if we are not constantly aware of the presence of God, we won't be driven to pray to Him. We won't stop in the middle of a crisis moment to pray because we won't be remembering His presence. Or we won't stop in a crisis moment to pray because we are so caught up in our own ability (or the ability of someone else) because we have disregarded the power of God to fight and work for us. 

Let's remember God's power and His presence as we aim to have a healthy and consistent prayer life.

To God be the glory.

Prayer - "God's power" or "We need an expert"

This is an excerpt from a devotional on Sunday night.

When we have a problem, who do we go to? Say we have an electrical problem.

I could go to my next door neighbor....because he is great at grilling.
I could go to my wife... because she's an awesome teacher.
I could go to my oldest daughter...because I love her very much and would do anything for her.
I could contact an electrician...because they are the experts in their field.

Now we need to ask ourselves, who is the real expert in life?

When we have a problem with people: the one who made those people.
When we have problems with my finances: the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills...even if He isn't just going to give them to us! :o)
When we have a problem with sin issues: the one who died for those sins.
When there are problems in our churches: the bridegroom of the church.

ANY problem: the one who made us, loves us, and actually knows what is best for us, not just what we think is best.

The power of God. Do you believe that God has the power to help you in your time of need. Is He able to do everything we could think of, everything we can't think of, and exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever ask for?? I believe He can.

So, if God is the expert, why doesn't our prayer life reflect that? If He is the expert, then why am I still depending on myself? Why am I seeking wise (even Godly) individuals before I go to God?? Look, the reality is that God places people into our lives to be a help to us. However, we should start with the expert and allow Him to decide how He is going to help rather than assuming who should be a delegate for His power, wisdom, and authority.

If we do not have a firm understanding of the power of God and if we don't remember it, our prayer lives will be non-existent.

Tomorrow we will look at the other half of the devotional and tie this together. There are two very important keys in having a healthy prayer life. Power and ....... (come back tomorrow!)


To God be the glory.

Prayer - prayers for others - praying for missionaries

Well, back to the book of Colossians and chapter 4. In Col 4:3 Paul now asks for prayer himself. He is in prison but he doesn't ask for prayer about his health. In fact, those receiving the letter would have wanted to know how to pray for him and might have been surprised by the way he answered....then again, maybe they wouldn't have!

1. That God may open to us a door for the word, [with the purpose being] to declare the mystery of Christ.
2. That I may make it (the mystery of Christ) clear.

Paul spends the time to send a letter, to ask for prayer, and his focus is on his ministry.

So, do you attend a church? Does that church support missionaries? So, how do we pray for them?

Well, OK, the first question is actually DO we pray for them. If we are, as we should, then this verse can be a model for us.

Side not: have you had missionaries in your church? How many of them have told you that while they appreciate financial support, then truly covet prayer support? I've heard it many, many times. So, let's give it!

It shouldn't be too hard. Find a list of your church's missionaries and pray for one of them per day when you pray over the rest of your list. Soon, I would imagine that you will begin to seek out more information (where they are, who their ministry is to, do they have kids, etc.) but the beauty of Paul's prayer request here is that it is universal. You don't need to know a thing about your missionaries. You can still pray these two things for them and take that request to God.

So, take some time and pray for your missionaries this week and month!!


To God be the glory.

Prayer - how to pray

Well, look at this, we have Colossians again! :o)

Colossians 4:2 shows Paul encouraging the Colossians to pray in a certain way. The ESV says, "continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

"Continue steadfastly" has the idea of "to persevere and not to faint" So, continuing steadfastly in prayer has the idea that we don't quit.

Then, we get the second half that talks about being watchful in prayer with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving we understand. We are to be thankful. Thankful no matter what life throws at us knowing that our heavenly Father has not left our side.

But, "being watchful"? What is that talking about? Well, I looked it up on Blue Letter Bible and it gave a cool image.

"To Watch" (duh)
"Give strict attention to, be cautious, active"
        "To take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one." (whoa)

I also found that this is the same word used in I Peter 5:8 that is translated "vigilant" in "be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil, like a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour."

So, Paul's encouragement about praying is that we are intentional about not quitting. Also, that we, through thanksgiving, are being watchful (for ministry opportunities, for temptations that may trip us, for Satan to attack our families, for loved ones to witness to, etc.) in prayer!


To God be the glory.

Prayer - God is not a vending machine

I don't want to be giving a wrong impression in these blog posts. Having a list is a great idea, but I don't believe God is just some vending machine. However, I know how easy it can be to have my prayer life function like He is one. It can be easy to make a prayer list and then, in the haste of wanting to "get through it" just take the time to pray for/about those things.

So, knowing this can be a problem here are some thoughts/thoughts about keeping ourselves from this really bad habit.

C.A.T.S.

Confession

Adoration/praise

Thanksgiving

Supplication


Notice that on this list saying "thank you" and asking for things (either for yourself or for others) are the last two things. We need to ensure we don't have sin that we need to confess and we need to just spend time praising God for who He is. Recognizing his holiness and love. We have a two-way relationship with God...not just a "vending machine" relationship.


To God be the glory.

Prayer - prayers for others - what to pray

I have at many times wondered, how do I pray for other people. Sure, there are things going on in their lives that I know about, but sometimes that either runs out or feels redundant. Sometimes it is people I know as acquaintances or as students (not peers) and I don't know specific things to pray about. So, then what? What are ways we can pray for fellow believers even without knowing what is going on in their lives?

I figure, the Bible was given to us for a purpose and having specific prayers was also intentional. So, let's look at one.

The book of Colossians opens up with a greeting from Paul and he mentions that he has been praying for them since he heard of their faith and their love for other believers.

Then, in verses 9 & 10, he mentions several things he prays for them.

The first is, "asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Wow. There is SO much here. Spiritual wisdom for the purpose of walking worthy of our Lord. With the specific purpose of pleasing Him. That we will bear fruit and continue to increase in our understanding of who God is.

That is something we should be praying for ourselves, but surely we can pray this for anyone who we know who is a believer. Roommates, spouses, children, fellow church members, co-workers, etc. If you know someone who is a Christian, then these are things we should desire for them and can pray on their behalf.


To God be the glory.

Prayer: time, time, time

You know. I have tried to make prayer lists before. Do you know what my greatest deterrent has always been? Time.

Not that I start spending a lot of time and then don't like it...but that I've gotten scared that I would spent a lot of time praying. That it would be too much time and the thought was daunting.

....

....

Ok, now don't judge me. How many of us have actually done that without maybe thinking it that specific way? For example, have you simply not taken the time to pray because you have other things going on? Then you think about praying, realize what you wouldn't be able to do or consider how long it would take and you never even start?

If you've been reading my blog this week then you are fully aware that I have been being challenged in this area of prayer and what my prayer life looks like...or doesn't.

Prayer is communication. Right? Communication is also a key to great relationships. It's not the ONLY key, but it's an important one. Look at many divorce cases and you will see other issues too, but you will also see a breakdown in communication. (I mean non-self-centered, healthy, communication.)

So, a God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us...and we can't take the time pray? To communicate consistently??? What is the world are we doing? Is there even a relationship there if I'm not making the time to communicate with my Father?

I mean, sure. I pray when I'm driving to work or driving home if something is on my heart. Sometimes I'll pray on a break at work if something is really bothering me. I pray before meals...when I'm with my family. If it's just me, then I usually pray before meals. I pray with my oldest as we get her ready for bed....but if I miss her bedtime, I often don't. These times of prayer are important, by the way. I'm not knocking any of them. I think there is real value in praying as you do your day!!! I just know that some deep, meaningful, uninterrupted prayer time is also very needed in a Christians life.

What would it cost me? To begin with...maybe 7-10 minutes. Really? Please tell me that I'm not making excuses to avoid 10 minutes of communication....with someone who loves me...and who I also love!!!

So, what's the hold up? Is it selfishness (wanting to spend my time the way I want to spend it)? Is it pride (I've got this. I don't need help)? Is it fear or doubt (is He really listening? Maybe what I want to pray about doesn't matter)? Is it habit? Have we just developed the habit of NOT praying this way and therefore we don't.

If you are interested in building a habit of purposeful, meaningful communication with your heavenly Father and you would like some encouragement and motivation, then please click below.

If, however, you either already have a consistent and meaningful prayer life, or if you know you don't, but you know you don't have the time (or for whatever other reason) then this post is done and please don't click the link below. That message isn't for everyone! Thank you.

Link

To God be the glory!

If you already have a consistent and meaningful prayer life, then please don't read this blog post. Just skip over it. If you know you don't, but you know you don't have the time (or for whatever other reason) then please don't read this blog post. Just skip over it.

Why? Because prayer....the prayer I'm talking about, is very personal and I don't want this to be a show or my own self-righteousness. I'm looking for a small, interested audience. Please feel free to read my posts as they come out. There will be several on prayer in the next few weeks and those can still, by God's grace, be an encouragement to you.



However, if you are interested in building a habit of purposeful, meaningful communication with your heavenly Father and you are looking for some encouragement and motivation, then let's talk.

Some of you may know that I did a project on "control" issues about a year and a half ago. I spent 30 days blogging about it. I just really can't do this the same way. This isn't something to talk about openly or to make public. I want to be an encouragement, but I don't want to be a hypocrite. So, what are you and I going to do? I'm going to intentionally spend time in prayer, alone and without distraction, for the next 40 days.

I have a list started and it has just 5 things on it. For now, I'm not going to grow it, but over the next 40 days it probably will grow. But that's not the point. The point is that I have things that are deeply important to me and I want to pray over them every single day. If the list grows, then so does my time in prayer.

If you are interested, then you can do this with me. Start a list of 5 things, not more, and pray over it every day. Don't do it in your car. Do it when you have nothing else on your mind and can really focus on it. Also, if you need someone to do this with you, then find someone you really trust and ask them to do it with you. Don't make a scene. The Bible is very clear about people who pray to be seen. However, accountability can be wonderfully helpful too.

So, there you go. After 40 days I'll find a non-intrusive way to wrap this up with a blog post. Until then I won't mention it, I'll just be posting about prayer each day as an encouragement (hopefully) and as a reminder to me and to you to take that time to pray.

God is good! And His love endures forever!

To God be the glory!

Prayer lists

It's funny what happens when you pray. Tangent: did you know, if you google "prayer" you can find groups who have done studies that inconclusively prove that prayer either only works a small amount, not at all, or is actually detrimental (prayer for healing was the test I was reading).

..... *shakes head*

OK. Now that we have that out of the way: when we pray, we find God answering prayers. That's what happens. But, what are we praying for? Who? What? When? Why??

I quoted from War Room (the movie) on Facebook the other day and I put that "victory doesn't come by accident."

So, victory doesn't come by accident. So, there is a plan. A plan, like when, where, how, and why!!

Prayer: one plan is to have a prayer list. What is most crucial to you in your life right now? Is it your marriage? Is it your lack of marriage? Your job or lack of job? Your kids or your lack of kids? Is it your church....you guessed it, or your lack of church?

The point is, if you have a physical, tangible prayer list, then you know you won't let these things slip. You also have something to see as a reminder when you see God answering prayer (to encourage you that google is wrong and God IS working through prayer).

I made a list. No, I'm not going to share it all. But I can confirm that "I want to be a better husband," I want to be a better father," "I want to be content in where God has me at work," and "I want to be God's hands and feet" are all on my list.

"Why such a selfish list" you might be asking. Well, I'll tell you. Because I am willing to admit that I am so broken and messed up that I'm screwing up more things than I'm fixing. For God to work on me WILL help those around me more than some of the other things I could be praying for.

Ex: I'm watching my daughters grow up....while I'm in the same room....but sometimes I'm not present. That, to me, is a need for me to pray for God to work in me. I could pray for God to heal our nation, but I want to start by praying that I'll be God's hands and feet for whatever He has for me to do today. Then, I'll pray for my nation and I'll be ready for what God has for me to do today....instead of just passively sitting by hoping to see God work through someone else.

I want to encourage you to make a list, even if it sounds lame or unnecessary. and pray over your list every day. Then, as God lays things on your heart, grow the list. Just, be prepared to give up something. We live in a messed up world and, unless you are a cold person on the inside, there are plenty of people you love who need prayer too....and the list will grow and so will your time of praying. But the great thing is that you will be OK with it growing because you will see God working and answering prayer and you will know that He cares about you and your loved ones and that He loves YOU.

Prayer lists: one (of many) strategy to victory in a war that won't be won by accident!

To God be the glory.

"Living on my own abilities" and "not praying with consistency"

The sermons on Sunday have had me thinking a lot (hence this blog from yesterday). Thinking about the way we make ourselves dependent on God....or the ways we don't. The ways we keep in touch with Him...or the ways we don't.

1. Self-sufficiency or dependence on God.

2. Praying without ceasing. 

It's funny how these two things fit together. In fact, I think I could argue the point that if you don't have a vibrant prayer life, this is most likely a symptom of a lack of dependence on God. Now, there could be other things that diminish your (and my) prayer life....but let's be honest. Those other reasons will get taken care of if you are depending on God. ex: if you are mad at God for something or if you have sinned and don't feel clean enough to talk to God.....those things won't keep you from Him if you are depending on Him for your day-to-day life. You won't be able to resist going back to God because you will reflexively seek Him out throughout the day and you will WANT to make those other things right. 

When I'm at the store and someone is annoying me, am I praying? I can pray for whatever is going on in their day that I don't know about. If I'm not feeling particularly gracious and spiritual, I can at least pray about my own patience and ability to be the love of Christ to people around me. 

When my children are being disobedient, am I praying? I can pray that God will give me the patience to be an earthly example of a heavenly father. I can pray that God will work in their heart to bring them to Him and make them more like Him. I can pray that they will sleep better tomorrow so they are less crabby the next day. I can pray for my wife that she'll have an extra helping of patience today too. Or, do I just see a problem that I need to fix (self-sufficiency) and I take God out of the equation.

If I'm looking for a second job to help make ends meet. If I am looking to change careers. If I am preparing a devotional for Sunday night. If I am having trouble staying healthy but I know its what is best for my family. If I don't really want to engage my family today...... in all of these and in everything else, am I doing it alone or am I involving God in my life? If God is just a cosmic force who somehow cares enough to make good things happen for us but isn't really personal, then I don't need to worry about it. But, if the Bible is true, then I have a relationship to foster and a heavenly father who wants to help me in life. Who wants to be my source of strength. My source of hope. 

My personal prayer life is a thermometer to help me see how my relationship with God really is. I can make a show of it in front of other people. I can stand up and speak on a Sunday, I can pray in front of others, and I can teach a S. S. class. But those don't actually gauge my relationship with God. If, however, I am not taking the time to pray and spend time with God, then I know where my relationship is at. So, here is step one....get on our knees and pray. Pray alone, pray often. Pray with your eyes open in the middle of a conversation and pray in the dark. Let yourself fall asleep praying and keep yourself awake praying. 

To God be the glory, great things He is doing!

When I am strong, He is weak

We had a special speaker this morning in church and he made this statement. I'd like to give a little context and then flesh it out....this has really blown my mind today.

2 Corinthians 12 is the passage that has the phrase, "My power is made perfect in weakness" and the section ends with "for when I am weak, then I am strong."

As we dig into the verses and the context, we see that the whole point is that when Paul is personally weak, then he won't think too much of himself and he will rely on God, whose power can then be shown. So, our weakness shows God's strength.

So, it stands to reason that when we are strong, we are most often only depending on ourselves and not on God. Therefore, while God is not actually made weak, His ability to work through us is weakened. His light shines more weakly through our lives. We aren't ending a story with "see how God worked through me?" or "See what wonderful things God has done in our lives?" We are just ending the story with our accomplishment or what we are planning to do.

We (my wife and I) talk about our goal to move and my goal to eventually go back to school and teach. But, what is God's goal for our lives? Are we so self-sufficient that our life stories and life lessons only point back to us?

But you say, 'What about my talents and abilities? Surely God gave those to me to use them. Why wouldn't I use my strengths in my day-to-day life? If I'm good at preaching, why don't I preach? If I'm good at teaching, serving, accounting, customer service, numbers, construction, farming, or just staying at home to raise my kids....shouldn't I take those strengths and use them to the best of my ability?"

Yes you should. In fact, it is a shame if we don't. However, if we only have strengths and we ignore all of our weaknesses, then where is our dependence? Are we fighting a spiritual war or not? There is a spiritual war going on today. If we aren't fighting for God, then we are an asset that He can't use. So, if you are working only with your strengths and never from a place of weakness, then you have a huge potential for the problem of self-sufficiency. It means you have to be extra vigilant that you are remaining humble before God, reminding yourself daily that those strengths are from him, and daily giving those strengths up to God...what do I mean? I mean that you tell yourself AND God that they are His. They are so thoroughly His that if He decided to take them from you today, that that would be OK because it was His gift to begin with. That you are so dependent on Him alone that this strength of yours is not relevant to the equation and if it is taken out, you will humbly accept that.

Example: I talk a lot. (I know, shocker, right?!!?) That is both a strength and a weakness, but I want to look at it from the strength side for a minute. Many of the ministry opportunities that I have (encouragement, teaching, etc.) come from the use of my mouth. However, that is God's strength given to me. If God chose to remove my capacity to talk (either talking at length or simply talking at all) then that should be OK because He is the one doing the work in people's lives, not me. My voice was just a tool and He can use ANY tool He wants. Similarly, He allows my current job to be what provides for my family. My job doesn't provide for my family: God does through that job.

I am so incredibly guilty of a lifestyle of self-sufficiency from God. Oh, I run to Him in times that are trials to me. I go to Him when I don't know how to do it....but if I have a handle on life and things are going my way, then I'm often good to go. I don't communicate with God or ask for His help. THAT! That is the attitude that requires God to bring us down and give us weakness so that His strength can shine through.

My question is this: are you going to become weakness so that God is what the world sees through you or does God have to provide you with extra weakness to do this Himself? Are you already full of weaknesses but you haven't been allowing those to drive you to God's strength for your life? Do you love your family, your work, your career, or your life more than you love God? Or do you love God so much that it pours out into your family, your work, your career, and your life? Whose glory are we seeking? If we don't actively seek God's glory, then it is ours that will be accomplished. Either intentionally or passively. God's glory will not be accomplished in us, the way it should be, if we are not actively working to ensure that our lives glorify Him.


To God be the glory!

Questioning God!

The concept of questioning God has always interested me. I mean, as children, we ask our parents questions, right? In fact, when you think about it, they HAVE to ask us questions to help them learn. The most common question is, "Why?" Why do I have to go to bed now? Why can't I have ice cream right before bed? Why do I brush every night? Why? Why? Why?

Some questions are annoying (which doesn't outright make them wrong) but most of the time they are innocent and honest. Then, however, they can change and get ugly. Like, "Go to your room!" gets a snotty "Why??" and, "No you can't do XYZ" gets the same response.

As parents, we know that there is a huge distinction between an honest question and a question born out of a need for control or a dislike for a decision that was made. One is honest and inquisitive, the other is disrespectful and wrong.

So, we know we can do the same thing to God. We can go with "why?" questions that are legitimate. Born of pain, wonder, or just wanting to know answers to questions. OR we can ask the same question born of anger and resentment for the control that we want but don't have.

I was listening to a song today that is all about questioning God. I think it can be taken in a good sense or in a negative one and I don't think that every statement/question is really completely appropriate. However, I think it's good to remember that our Heavenly Father is happy for us to ask questions when we are being respectful and I truly believe He will honor those requests...even if we don't get an answer (or at least one that we recognize).

Todd Agnew - If You Wanted Me

I'll admit I'm glad we're not disciples, out on a lake, paralyzed with fright. Cause I'm afraid I might have laughed at Peter - until he stepped into that stormy night. If you wanted me to walk on water, why'd you make the solid ground seem so right?

And I'll admit I'm glad I'm not King David, ruling over everything I see. Cause I think I've fallen for more than Bathsheba. Your creation's a temptation for me. If you wanted me to love You only, why'd you make the moonlight sparkle in her eyes?

I'll admit I'm glad I'm not John the Baptist. In a jail cell waiting for my day to die. Cause at least down here I know what we're chasing, and it's hard to trust Your dreams are so much better than mine. But if you wanted me to die to myself, why'd you make me fall so deeply in love with life?

If you wanted me to surrender, why'd you make these hands able to hold on so tight?

...and if you wanted me to be like You, why'd you make so much like me?


It would be easy to ask many of these questions with a wrong attitude and motive. However, I know how important it is for a relationship to communicate. Besides, do you think God doesn't know you doubts, fears, and frustrations? So, go to Him. But go to Him as your Father who loves you, and not a god who wants to ruin your life! Then see Him work in your life and in your attitude!!!

To God be the glory!!!