Tag: Christian living

Persistent Prayer

BethelchurchI grew up attending a tiny country church numbering only a few families.  Church was not just a place to visit for coffee and a sermon on Sunday morning.  There were no large screens, no light shows, no bands, no padded theater seats.  What we didn’t have in the way of amenities, we made up for with fellowship– pot lucks,  church-wide outings, bake sales to raise money for missionaries, and community-wide Christmas caroling every December.  We didn’t have a big budget or slick publications.  There was no website or gym; no trendy decor in the entryway, or sound system–we didn’t even have an indoor bathroom until I was about 6 years old!

  But there was prayer– lots of it!  Prayer to open Sunday School; prayer to open the service; prayer at the end of Sunday service; and Wednesday Evening Prayer Meeting.  This was, for the children, an evening of games, singing, stories, and socializing with our friends, all in the church basement (painted cinder block walls, industrial fluorescent lights hanging down from beams to light up folding tables and metal folding chairs on the bare cement floor, which was sometimes home to spiders, toads and even the occasional salamander).  But upstairs, it was all business.  An hour of adults in the community coming together to pour their hearts out to God.

As I became a teen, I “graduated” to the upstairs–to a young teen it seemed an interminably long and slow process of sharing requests, sharing praises, and taking turns mumbling and rambling and regurgitating all that had come before, this time with eyes closed, and some of the old-timers on their knees instead sitting in the un-padded and creaky wooden pews.  Sometimes, there would be two or three hymns or a short devotional to round out the hour-long service.

I know there are churches that still have mid-week (usually Wednesday night) services, and some of them are devoted to corporate prayer  (my current church has one, in fact).  But most of these services have died out– due, I suspect, to the view I described above.  Very few of us are devoted to getting out one night every week to spend an hour kneeling on a hard floor “sharing” needs with others, only to repeat them to God.  But I think somewhere we missed the point, and the value, of these gatherings.  In going to Prayer Meeting, I got to hear the hearts of three generations of people across our community– farmers, construction workers, teachers, retired grandfathers, teens like me, pastors, recovering alcoholics, homemakers, business men and women–people with wildly different struggles, triumphs, and needs, and in different stages of their Christian walk.  I heard the exuberance of new converts, and the steady faith of aging saints; the struggles of the brokenhearted widower, and the needs of new parents.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson from Prayer Meeting was about persistent prayer.  Week after week we reported answered prayers, but other requests seemed to linger.  Some who desired healing never found it (in this life).  Some relationships were never restored.  Some faced the same struggles with anger, or job loss, or loneliness over a period of months.  Was our prayer ineffective, or our faith deficient?  Did God not hear?  Didn’t he care?

I believe God heard every word; every groan, every sigh.  I believe he ached with every burden we brought before his throne.  I believe he was (and is) in the midst of every gathering.  And I believe that prayer is often like those conversations we have with our oldest and dearest friends about those same persistent problems.  God has the power to deliver us without the struggle, without the wait.  We don’t know why he allows some struggles to play out over years while others end in timely triumph.  But I believe that for every situation that challenges our faith and endurance, he is there for every tear, every question, every ‘SMH’ moment, every stumbling step forward.  And when we come together to share the burden with our neighbors, family, friends in fervent prayer– God is present, not just as the Father on his throne, but as the Son who cried out on his knees in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Spirit who interprets our groaning when words are not enough.

I say a lot of quick prayers; sometimes urgent, and often simplistic and even easy prayers.  I am slowly rediscovering the value of persistent  and corporate prayer.

 

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What’s That Smell?!

Years ago, when I worked in a public library, one of my jobs was to help empty the book drop. Most libraries have a large receptacle outside the building where people can drop off their books after hours. We had a “drive up” drop box, and the large bins would get full– especially over a holiday weekend! It was important to empty them out and get the books checked back in– and to check for damage.

I was always amazed at the state of some of our returned books. We were located near several beaches along Lake Michigan, and many of our books would return with sand trapped in the plastic covering (and between the pages) of many books. Some books came back with torn or dog-eared pages. Some had been marked with pens, crayons, or markers. Some books came back with unusual “bookmarks,” including utility bills, photos, letters, and even credit cards and drivers’ licenses!

But the worst one I can remember happened on a Tuesday morning after Labor Day weekend. There was a plastic shopping bag, tightly knotted at the top, containing two books. And it smelled HORRIBLE. It smelled like swamp water and mildew and dead animal! Inside, the two books were not just mildewed– they had mold growing in them. The books were almost a month overdue, but they were damaged beyond all repair, and I needed to call the borrower to let them know we would be charging a book replacement fee.

The story came out– I talked to the mother. Her daughter had taken library books to Summer Camp, and they had gotten wet after a rainstorm. Not wanting her clothes or other items to get wet, the girl had placed the books in the plastic bag. Summer Camp ended, and she packed everything–including the still-damp books inside the shopping bag– and brought them home. Somehow, the bag with the books ended up under her daughter’s bed, where they stayed for three more weeks! In the meantime, the mother had received an overdue notice from the library and couldn’t find the books. Certain that they had been returned, she had called the library to complain about “our” mistake. Several staff members had combed the shelves, trying to find the missing books, but hadn’t seen them.

Summer was coming to an end, and the girl in question was cleaning her room, which had begun to smell. She found the bag with her two missing library books– the source of the smell. Totally embarrassed, the mother brought the bag to the library book drop and threw it in, so she wouldn’t have to face us in person. She apologized profusely over the phone, and happily agreed to pay the replacement fee the next time she came in.

What does all of this have to do with prayer and worship?

Well, it’s a long and winding story, but here is my thought process today: It’s getting ready to rain. We have a small leak, and a bucket that catches the rainwater in our hallway. Water that drips into the bucket and stands for a few days will get fetid. That got me thinking about living water. Living water is described throughout the Bible– and it is always moving– flowing, rolling, gushing, pouring, etc., which reminded me of a verse in the book of Amos–“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” Amos 5:24 (NIV). But as I was looking at this verse in context, I was arrested by the verses just above–Amos 5:21-25 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (emphasis added).

God isn’t just mildly offended when we neglect justice, obedience, compassion, and truth. He calls the empty festivals of the wayward Israelites a “stench”– a nose-twisting, swoon-inducing, stinking, reeking, sweltering offense that causes the eyes to water and the whole body to convulse with repugnance!

And what had caused the festivals and religious assemblies of the Israelites to become a stench? They were following the rules for burnt offerings. They were singing songs and fellowshipping together. But it was all about THEM. They were not elevating and worshipping God, but worshipping idols dedicated to the stars and the sun and the moon. And they would leave the assembly unmoved, unchanged, and continuing in their wicked ways. They oppressed the poor and innocent and ignored the very God they claimed to serve.

Suddenly, my memory of the stench of those books attached itself to the condition of complacent, and even false worship as it was described by Amos. Those moldy books had been thrown into a convenient bag and then forgotten. They were ignored, shoved under a bed and returned late, shamefully treated, and falsely claimed as returned. Just like God’s people had treated His word, His commands, and His promises.

Water– rain water, river water, spring water–if it is allowed or even forced to sit still, can lose its freshness and stop giving life. Justice, righteousness, mercy– are all supposed to roll like water– they are meant to be shared, pursued, and spread. When we withhold justice, hoard mercy, compromise on obedience, make worship about spectacle and feelings instead of honor and true praise, we stagnate. Our testimony begins to stink. Our lives spill over with selfishness, bitterness, and apathy. When our praise becomes automatic, OR it becomes more about the spectacle than the Spirit– it will also stagnate and smell “off.”

As the rains arrive, I want to remember that God sends Living Water, not just to fill my cup, but to spill over and bring life to others, and glory to Himself.

Nothing smells like the freshness after a spring rain! And THAT’S the aroma I want to give back to God in my prayer time, my worship, and in my life!

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Spoiler Alert!

I love being “in the know”–being part of a great secret and knowing that I got the information first (or at least earlier than someone else).  But I don’t like spoilers– learning about things that I was hoping to discover for myself.  I don’t want to know the ending to that new novel from my favorite author until I read it.  I don’t want to know how the new blockbuster movie ends before I have had a chance to see it.  I don’t want to know that my favorite character in a TV show dies at the end of season three before watching it in all its tragic impact.

There are, however, some “spoilers” that should be shared, and God has given them to us in His word.

  • First and foremost– in the battle of good and evil– God Wins!  The victory has already been won, and the outcome is certain.
  • Second– Christ Messiah will return to earth.  He will come in triumph and glory.  While none of us know the hour or the day of that return, it will come quickly, like a flash.
  • Before Christ’s return, we will face chaos and trouble in this world.  That is also certain, though we have the power to face it and God has the power to turn it to good.
  • We will face death and the judgment of God–those who trust in Jesus Christ will still die; we will still be judged.  Only the blood of Christ, and our faith in his finished work will save us from the wrath our acts deserve.
  • Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).
bow down

Knowing these “spoilers” doesn’t ruin our prayer life– instead, that knowledge gives us the power, the passion, and the promise to pray as if our lives depend on it!  Moreover, it should move us to pray and act on these truths in all our dealings with others.  Not to become arrogant about our knowledge, but to be compassionate and forgiving toward those who don’t have it or haven’t accepted it.

 

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Passport Prayers

I get to travel every day.  I journal my prayers in a daily notebook.  Prayer Journal  (click here to get ideas or learn more)  Each day has a heading and four sections– one for birthdays or other “memory days”; one for thematic prayers (generalized themes like “family”, “community”, “global concerns”, “culture”, etc.); one for urgent requests, and one for a region of the world–nations, major cities, local communities.  On busy days, I send a short prayer and try to remember what I know, or imagine what I’d like to know, about that area.  Some days, I have the luxury of time to look up information or history about that area– what is the language, capital city, literacy rate, average age, major religion, geography, economy, etc.

Our world is full of wonder, variety, crisis, and opportunity–I want to add all of this to my pursuit of prayer. It reminds me of several things:

  • I am not the center of the universe– my issues and problems are not unique or exceptional.
  • God has placed me here to interact with others–I can’t reach out and connect with 6 billion others, but I can become more aware of their needs and way of life.
  • The world is a big place–seeing it on the screen via the internet sometimes causes me to forget that.  And as I see how big the world is, I also need to remember that God is even bigger!
  • The world is full of variety.  Not everyone lives or thinks or worships as I do.  Not everyone faces the same circumstances, the same temptations, the same struggles.  Yet God sees and hears each one who calls on him.  He doesn’t have trouble understanding languages and dialects– he doesn’t get culture shock.  He is not an American Jesus, or a Brazilian Jesus, or a Korean Jesus.  He’s not an urban Jesus or a remote mountain village Jesus, or a gated community Jesus.  When we enter eternity, we will share it with amazing brothers and sisters from every corner of creation.  He’s got the whole world in his hands!
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Many millions of people around the globe have never heard the Gospel– or they’ve heard lies and misrepresentations.  Millions of other believers are being persecuted for believing in Jesus or for sharing the good news of Salvation in His Name. People in every nation, every community, are suffering.

  • We are commanded, as Christians, to “go into all the world” and preach the gospel.  I may not be able to travel to “all the world”, but I can “go” in prayer, sharing on-line, and  learning about needs, as well as in sending out and praying for those who can travel.
  • I am grateful for the opportunities God has given me– to learn about him and worship him in freedom; to travel and participate on short-term mission opportunities; to meet and share with missionaries, travelers, students, foreign workers, and others who share their culture and knowledge and perspectives; and for the global work of the Savior, and my privilege to share in it.

Time to pack my bags– I’m heading to Ireland tomorrow!

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The Smallest Detail

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Have you ever looked at a series of pictures that “zoom” in or out (or both)?  Something that seems “normal” in size suddenly becomes a tiny detail in a much larger picture.  Or one tiny detail grows large enough to show intricacies hitherto unseen.  It is mind-blowing to think of how many details there are in God’s universe–little things that go unnoticed and unappreciated every day.  But not by God.  God knows and cares about every single detail– from the  individual hairs on your head, to the variations and whorls of each of your fingerprints; from the gradations of colors in each moment of each sunrise, to the exact air temperature in each square foot of atmosphere around the world; from the wings of every butterfly to the fins of every fish– nothing escapes his notice or falls through the cracks.

We can pray with confidence that God hears every word we say, and knows the thoughts we can’t even put into words.  I believe God loves to hear all our details.  He loves listening to us, because of his great love for us.  He wants us to hold nothing back.  This is especially true when we pour out our deepest delights and our most pressing burdens.  He wants to share them with us– to double our joy, and shoulder our pain.sea-nature-animals-fish.jpg

I was reminded about God’s attention to detail while reading His word one morning.  I was reading through one of the books of history (II Kings) in which the various kings of Israel and Judah are listed, along with short accounts of “what happened” during their reigns–some kings are given several paragraphs or a couple of chapters;  others merely a sentence or two.  In the midst of all this, there is a curious reference in II Kings 14:25.  King Jeroboam II of Israel is accounted a generally wicked king, but he did restore some of the ancient boundaries of the country, “in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher”– that’s right, THAT Jonah– the one of the giant fish and the adventure in Ninevah (see Paltry Prayer ).  How many times have I read the story of Jonah, and passed right over this reference to him in another book!  The Bible is full of such hidden hints and corroborating details.  I believe that God put them there to remind us of his great attention to detail.  The God who lists genealogies throughout his word— long lists of otherwise forgotten names;  the one who makes a point of listing palace guards and minor officials, and builders and temple workers–this God sees ME!  He sees YOU!  He hears us when we call.  He knows all of our quirks and idiosyncrasies– and loves each unique detail of our makeup.

Praying hands

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Time Flies

Yesterday had 24 hours, the same as every other day. Yet it seemed to zoom past, leaving me “behind” in getting my blog ready for today. So here I am, writing “under the gun” so that I can publish today.

Blogs like this don’t have “deadlines” in the sense of print publications or broadcasts. I don’t have advertisers or managers demanding that I have content by a certain time or date. There are no editors to determine the length of any particular blog post. This one is likely to be shorter than most, in fact. And God isn’t standing by waiting to scold me for being late today. It is my own sense of expectation that gives me grief.

But God has placed all of us in time and space with a purpose. We do not have the power to “stretch” time, to reclaim it, or to bargain for more of it. Time “flies”–and what we do in the time we have flies, too. And He wants us to give our time to Him first of all.

Falling behind on a blog entry is not a life-or-death matter. Falling behind in life is another matter.

I pray that today will be a productive day, a restful day, even a challenging day– and that, as it flies by, we will fulfill God’s purpose in it. And He’ll take care of the timing!

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Praying for Time

I have a very bad habit of procrastinating.  I wait until the last minute to tidy up, make that important phone call, or write my latest blog entry…living alone for so many years, it went mostly unnoticed by others and unchecked by me.  My husband is very patient about certain aspects of this habit, but he has taught me much about the value of getting on top of tasks, instead of always playing catch up.

One of the lies I have told myself is that “I just don’t have enough time..” to do certain things.  But God has given every one of us the same 24 hours in a day.  Some of us have more unstructured time, but no one has more actual time than anyone else.  And I will always find time for the things I choose to do first–whether they are more important, more urgent, or just more fun.

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Time is a gift.  How we spend it shows how much we value it.  I can waste time, invest time, spend time, hoard time, share time, or lose time, but I can’t buy, sell, or trade for more of it.  I can pray for it– there is a precedent in the Bible.  Hezekiah was the king of Judah.  God told him that he would die soon, and Hezekiah prayed and wept.  God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell the king that he would grant him another 15 years of life, as well as deliverance from his enemy, the king of Assyria ( see II Kings 19 and 20).  Hezekiah was generally a good king, but in the extra 15 years that God granted him, he was foolish, and put his nation at risk.  Having more time didn’t make Hezekiah a better king, nor did it bring his nation peace and security…all it did was prolong his life and defer Judah’s destruction for a few short years.

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What makes time precious is that we don’t know how much of it we have here.  Our lives pass in a flash– what we do today in haste or wasted pleasure can’t be recovered.   But it can be redeemed.  I can learn to use time more wisely.   I can pray for good counsel in the stressful days as well as the times of leisure.  Rather than ask for more time, I’ve started to ask for more wisdom to USE the time I’ve been given.  I’ve been amazed at how much more I can accomplish when I seek God’s counsel about time, rather than worry and work at making “more” of it.  And some of the other things that took up so much of my time?  I still have time for some of them, too– after the important things get done.

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What Does Prayer Look Like?

What does prayer look like?
Do I bow my head,
Or lift my face toward heaven?
Should I fold my hands,
Or lift them up like an offering?
Do I kneel?
Should I fall prostrate on the ground?
Should I sit in my favorite easy chair?
Or stand in the corner of my closet?

What does prayer sound like?
Is it sung in joyful cadence?
Or murmured? Or chanted?
Or recited?
Is it poured out in an unknown tongue?
Does it sound like groaning?
Or humming? Or sobbing?
Or laughter?
Is it shouted on the street?
Or mouthed in reverent silence?

What does prayer feel like?
A weight lifted?
A breath of pure majesty?
A ray of cleansing light?
A mist of living water falling on dry ground?
Energy and motivation?
Peace?
Complete trust?
Being held?
Being overwhelmed?
Being lifted?

Prayer cannot be defined or comprehended–
Not because we cannot find ways to speak about it,
But because it involves a God who is beyond our
Comprehension.
Our closest friend
Is robed in impenetrable glory.
Our Loving Father
Is the King Above All Kings.
We cannot be too bold or too quiet.
We cannot surprise Him with our
Emotional outbursts, or
Our halting, awkward noises,
Or our sophisticated verbiage.

He IS.
And we are
Aware
Of His Presence!

AMEN!

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He’s Already There (and Here, and Everywhere!)

Sometimes, when I pray for a particular person, I say, “God, please BE with …..” But I’ve had to rethink that wording. Because God is already with ….. Instead, what I really mean to pray is that God’s presence will be felt and acknowledged by the other person; that God will move and act in such a way that the focus will shift to HIS almighty power and provision in a certain situation.

God is omnipresent. There is no place in Heaven or on Earth where God is NOT. In fact, the only place where we could be removed from God’s presence is in Hell. In fact, the most horrifying aspect of Hell is that it is the complete absence of God’s presence. The misery, torture, and fear of Hell is a direct consequence of God’s absence.

There are many situations in our lives when it may seem that God is absent, or that God has turned His back on us. Sometimes, this is really because WE have chosen to turn our backs on God. He is right there, but we are deliberately looking the other way. Other times, God is there, but He chooses not to remove an obstacle or circumstance that is causing us pain or grief. We don’t always know why He seems silent or inactive. But He is there, inviting us to trust His timing and wisdom in every situation. He delights with us, and He grieves with us. He may not give an instant answer to our questions or doubts, but he sits with us, ready to hold our hand and wrap us in His loving care. He doesn’t give up and leave us when the going gets rough. He is closer than a whisper, and He sees and hears everything. No matter what darkness we face, His light can guide us through.

The Psalmist, King David spoke of this with wonder:

7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. (Psalm 139:7-12 The Living Bible)

The Apostle Paul also spoke of God’s abiding presence, through Jesus Christ:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

Jesus Himself promised His eternal presence as well:

Matthew 28:20–“…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5 (quoting Jesus)…’for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”’
John 14:18– “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

No matter where you are today, God’s already there! No matter what difficult road you have to travel; no matter how long it takes you; no matter what other obstacles you will face, God’s already there! Whether you are resting in green pastures or walking through the valley of the shadow of death (see Psalm 23), God is with you– He’s already there!

And as we pray, God is already there– He already sees the future. He’s already redeemed the past. He has already seen the end from the beginning, and yet He patiently sits with us in the present, offering comfort and hope.

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The Lord is My Shepherd

Psalm 100:3 Christian Standard Bible (CSB):

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his—
his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 23 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

The Bible is filled with imagery of sheep and shepherds. Growing up, I lived in the countryside, but we never raised sheep, and I had little experience with livestock of any kind. We had one neighbor who had sheep, however, and he shared a lot of insight into why we should pay attention to what sheep can teach us about ourselves, and our God.

Not only does God use the imagery of sheep and shepherds, He uses examples throughout the Bible of actual sheep and shepherds. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the sons of Jacob, David, and the prophet Amos– all were shepherds. When the Messiah was born, the first announcement went to shepherds in the fields, keeping night-watch over their flocks!

Jesus used stories of sheep and shepherds in his parables, as well. There is a lot to understand, and I am not qualified to teach anyone about shepherding, but there are several wonderful principles that don’t require a lot of in-depth knowledge:

  • Sheep NEED a shepherd. There are breeds of mountain sheep that live independently, but the Bible stories speak of domesticated sheep…they are “high maintenance” animals– they need food and water, shelter, protection, and a lot of guidance and supervision! We NEED God–He understands our situations, our weaknesses, and our strengths, far better than we do. He knows the future; He has a plan, and He provides all that we need. We may not see the road ahead–we may not see the green pasture or the still waters where He wants to lead us–but He IS the WAY, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and we can trust Him to get us there.
  • Sheep need to be sheared. Left unsheared, the sheep’s wool will become matted, filthy, and a potential source of danger and disease. The sheep cannot get rid of its wool on its own. However, once the old wool is sheared off, the sheep is clean, and new wool can grow. Not only does God provide for our immediate needs, He provides for our renewal and growth–physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. Sometimes, that means we need to be “sheared” of habits, people, or situations that have become “matted”, and filthy. We haven’t even noticed the change, and we don’t see the danger. God wants to free us from the “baggage” we accumulate, and help us experience new growth.
  • Sheep depend on others to stay safe, healthy, and fed–there may be “lone wolves”, but there are no “lone sheep”. God will bring us into “flocks”. We learn to eat together, travel together, rest together, live together, and follow our shepherd’s voice together. Trying to be a “lone sheep” makes for a lot of trouble!
  • Shepherds make great sacrifices to care for their sheep– they provide, protect, rescue, heal, guide, and clean their sheep. A good shepherd is watchful, faithful, caring, and gentle, even as s/he must be strong, brave, and fiercely protective, risking their lives (or even giving their lives) for their flocks. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, knows each one of us intimately– He knows how to heal and guide us. He wants us to recognize His voice above all others, and to stay close to Him. He died to redeem you and me!

May we trust our Good Shepherd today, and every day. May we spend time acknowledging Him as our loving and faithful Shepherd, and call out to Him– in praise, in adoration, in supplication, and in loving gratitude.

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