Prayer

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Pray and Do Not Lose Heart

I was reading the news yesterday morning when I stumbled across a story about two Somali girls , aged 15 and 16, who were dragged off the street, accused by radical Muslim rebels of being spies, prohibited from seeing their families, and then—in shock and in tears—publicly executed.

I can’t get their deaths out of my mind.

Maybe it’s because we have two girls, who used to be teenagers. I see their faces superimposed on the CNN photographs.

Maybe it’s because it’s such a horrific story. So senseless. So evil.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been praying for God to break my heart for the lost and the hungry and the hurting.

There’s nothing I can do to help those two teens. I don’t know if they knew God or not. Had they ever had a chance to learn about Jesus?

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Is God a Slot Machine?

coke3God is not a vending machine. How many times have we heard that statement? We know that we can’t manipulate God—that while he does promise to reward us when we follow Him, that reward is only guaranteed to arrive once we’re in heaven. A quick read of Hebrews 11 makes this abundantly clear: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” While prosperity preachers may promise riches here on earth if we’ll only send them our money, our true treasure is waiting for us in heaven, safe and secure.

Yes, I know very well that God is not a vending machine. But this morning He woke me up and reminded me that He’s not a slot machine, either.

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In Memoriam

Grace Lilly_20100417_StJosephs_LAH_2598One and a half weeks ago, our new grand-niece Gracie Lou was born. She was three months early, but she had stopped growing, and the pregnancy was putting both her and her mother at great risk. So she arrived by emergency C-section on April 16, weighing just under a pound, not much longer than a new pencil.

For eleven days, Gracie received the best medical care available anywhere. She was saturated in constant prayer by countless friends, relatives, and those who didn’t even know her but cared just the same. There was certainly no lack of faith or commitment on behalf of the intercessors. She was loved and wanted. And she struggled, fighting for her life.

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Prayer is a Two-way Conversation (Part 2)

This is the conclusion of part 1 that I posted last week.

Now that I’ve laid out my case for God’s desiring a two-way conversation with us, rather than a monologue, it’s time for some hard questions. How do we go about achieving this ideal? How can we listen to God? How do we know it’s Him speaking?

God is the initiator of the relationship we have with Him. Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, and hid from God, He came looking for them. Genesis 3, verse 9 is the beginning of a long dialog among Adam, Eve, and God: “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”  Even though Adam and Eve had sinned, God still wanted their company—and God still pursues us today.

I’m grateful that God wants to talk to me so much that He’ll go to great lengths to do so. Think how foolish Balaam must have felt, when God had to speak to him through his donkey! I certainly don’t want to take after Balaam. Since Jesus died to restore my relationship with God, I want to make it easy for Him! I want to open my ears and eagerly join the conversation.

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Prayer is a Two-way Conversation (Part 1)

Recently, I spent an entire day in prayer. A very close friend was having serious surgery, and I felt compelled to wait before God on her behalf. Not so many years ago, I would have been unable to maintain an attitude of prayer for anywhere close to an hour, much less a day. While I would have had the same good intentions, I just couldn’t think of that much to say to God. Then I realized that prayer is a two-way conversation.

A few days later, I was discussing this with another friend:

Friend: I hate repeating myself in prayer. That’s why I don’t do as much of it as others. One reason, at any rate. I either find myself quickly addressing all the things on my heart and then ending the call, so to speak, or I keep digging and stretching and reaching for little things and obscure people to bring up, just to meet some bizarre prayer length quota.

Me: Try listening instead of talking; it’s very hard to have a one-way conversation with anyone.

Friend: I already feel like I’m talking to the ceiling. There’s never been much to hear. Sorry, but revelation is not for me.

Me: Sorry, I refuse to believe that. But listening is a learned skill, and you might need practice.

Does God, who must be awfully busy running the universe, actually talk to us? All of us? Or was this person right in assuming they just weren’t special enough to hear from God?

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Come Away with Me

come-away-with-meHow much time have you spent alone with God lately? In the midst of our busy schedules, it’s easy to overlook His still, small voice calling out to us for attention. I know I find it extra hard to set aside a regular date with God when my calendar is full of camping trips, hikes, and other summer activities that disrupt my routine.

Sometimes, what we really need is a kick-start, a prolonged time to really quiet ourselves and listen. When Pete has been traveling a lot, we try to plan an overnight get-away aimed at reestablishing our connection with one another. It takes more than just an hour or two at a local restaurant. Longer absences need longer dates. It’s the same way with God. When we’re extra busy, that’s when we especially need to set aside time with Him.

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Cynthia’s Blog

I’d like to draw your attention to a new blog I’ve linked to. The primary author is Cynthia Bezek, a wonderful friend of mine, and editor of “Pray!” magazine. While Nav Press recently announced that it will no longer publish “Pray!” in paper form, features have been added to the website. One of those new features is Cynthia’s blog, “Let’s Talk.”

Prayer is very much on Cynthia’s heart, and her blog will reflect that. I highly recommend you read her bimonthly postings. You will be edified and encouraged.

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Dating God: Without Ceasing

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18)”

Yeah, right. Rejoice always? Pray without ceasing? In everything give thanks? For years, I’ve relegated this verse to my list of “it would be nice, but it just isn’t realistic” Bible passages.

Lately I’ve started thinking that maybe I’ve been wrong to do that. God isn’t making a suggestion here. This is an out-and-out command. So I asked God to teach me how to rejoice always, how to pray all the time, how to be thankful in all circumstances.

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Dating God: One-on-One

Quiet Time. Devotions. Personal Bible study. The concept has a lot of names, but it all boils down to spending time with God.

When you consider who God is… all powerful, all loving, the Creator of the universe, faithful, merciful, gracious, (the list could go on and on), one would think that spending time with Him would be our first priority.

Most of us would jump at the opportunity to spend time with the president, whether or not we approve of his policies. Who would turn down an evening with their favorite movie star, or musician? And what about those people closest to us? I know I’m happiest when I’m spending time with those I love most.

Why is it that so many people who claim to love Jesus, and call themselves Christians, find it a chore to set aside time to focus on Him? It really makes no sense, yet I am among those who have struggled with this for years.

Why is this, and what can we do about it?

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Dating God: Personal Retreats

Last week, Jeremy (see previous post) made the following statement: “For a while now though I’ve felt like I need to go camping alone for a few days and do nothing but fast, read the Word, and pray. The idea just hit me outta nowhere once, and it pops back into my mind every once in a while.”

My first thought was, “Wow, God wants to spend time with you! How awesome is that?” I sure want to encourage him to follow through on this. Here’s why:

For centuries, Christians have taken themselves out of the busy-ness of everyday life and “retreated” to a quiet place in order to reconnect with God. Jesus set the standard for this. All throughout the gospels, we’re told that Jesus went away to a lonely place to pray. Sometimes He invited the disciples to go with him.

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