Knowing How to Pray

Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child's life return to him." The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 1 Kings 17:21-23 (New American Standard Bible)

I am struck by Elijah’s prayer of fourteen words, because of its simplicity and brevity. It wasn’t complicated and full of “formulas”. It was direct and to the point. Elijah was given a lifeless body and saw one need to bring before God….a resurrection. It is the first of two such scenarios found in Scripture and both times God does exactly what is asked of Him.

I have read books on prayer, been to seminars regarding prayer, talked with prayer warriors, listened to profound prayers, and desired a more effective prayer life. But when it was all said and done, I will admit to becoming intimidated by prayer. Why? Because it now seems so complicated and complex. There is a prayer language out there that I am not fully educated in as of yet. I don’t know all the “rules” of binding and loosing. I don’t know every tactic of the enemy to come against. All of a sudden, coming unto Him as a little child seems to require an indepth study that is equivalent to a college education.

So this morning I am asking myself and God some questions. How has something that was so simple in Bible times become so complicated and intimidating today? Why is it I can’t just talk to God, tell Him what I need or what I want Him to do, and see Him do it? Because quite frankly, the more complicated prayer becomes the less I tend to do it. What should be a joy and delight becomes over whelming leaving me with the feeling that my prayers are not good enough for God’s ears or worth His time or mine.

I am asking myself, what would happen if I just decided to do what I see patterned in Scripture time and time again? Just ask! Just talk! Just pray! If my walk with God is suppose to be authentic then can’t I talk to God using my own voice, my own words, and my own requests? His prophets did it that way. Jesus did it that way. Countless men and women of faith have done it that way. Prayer is not meant to be an exclusive club whereby only the knowledgeable are welcome. It is meant to be a time of interaction between God and His children. It is meant to be intimate and personal. It is meant to be full of childlike trust and simplicity. May someday I will have the more grown up version of prayer down pat, but for now I need a fresh start with my Father.

Father, You know the questions that abound in my mind this morning. Teach me how to pray! Amen.

Oh, To Be Like Him

And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. "They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again." Mark 10:32-34 (New American Standard Bible)

Jesus is telling His disciples in very explicit terms what is going to transpire in His life. He leaves no details out. Betrayal, the condemnation of a death sentence, mocking, being spit on, scourging, death, and a subsequent resurrection. If I were telling someone such future difficulties I would want them to enter into my suffering with me. I would want some sympathy and a sense that they would stand by me through it all. But Jesus received none of that and quite frankly He was not looking for it. He knew the hearts of His followers, His enemies, and the whole of mankind. His sharing of His impending death and resurrection was for their sake not His. I marvel that He did not need the very things I so often crave.

My mind is being drawn to the many ways Jesus acted and reacted differently than I do. When He performed miracles He didn’t poise Himself waiting for applause and recognition. When He went against popular opinion, He didn’t fret over the loss of acceptance. When He became the recipient of people’s criticism, rejection, unbelief, and scorn, He didn’t let it bring Him down emotionally. He didn’t begrudge the fact that many followed Him merely for what He could do for them. And why?

Because every bit of His identity, direction, ministry, and life came from Who He was and Who His Father was. Although He experienced grief, heartache, disappointment, pain, and sorrow, He let none of those things change that which He stood for, on and in. He was the epitome of being in this world but not of it.

He invites each of us to learn to do the same. He calls us to identify with Him, depend upon Him, seek Him, follow Him, and place our expectations upon Him. That which I think I need and those who I think I cannot live without must give way to Him. Only then can I begin to see hints of His reflection in and through me. May He increase my ability and desire to receive all that He is offering me.

Father, loosen the grip I have on the world and the world has on me. May I dare to open my hands and my heart to You. Amen.

Admitting the Truth

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6 (King James Version)

Do you want to know one of the things God wishes for, longs for, craves, and yearns after? It is acknowledgement of the very things we try desperately to hide or bury. David’s backdrop for this verse was the confession of sin. 2 Samuel 11 details the great extent to which David went in order to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. But in the end, the truth was acknowledged because that is a prerequisite for relationship with God.

This morning God is not only bringing that point to mind, but He is also letting me know acknowledgement of truth is a prerequisite for many things. Healing comes when I admit to being sick. Filling comes when I admit to being empty. Freedom comes when I admit to having idols. Restoration comes when I admit my brokenness. Comfort comes when I admit to sorrow. Supply comes when I admit my need. Wisdom comes when I admit I do not know what to do. Friendship comes when I admit my loneliness. Strength comes when I admit my weakness. And the admitting is done to God!

For some reason it has taken me decades to learn growth in my Christian life is a daily process and acknowledging the truth about myself and God is a big part of that process. I use to think weaknesses on my part were a disappointment to God. I imagined Him looking over my life, sighing, and urging me to do better. When all the while He was wanting me to have honest, open communication with Him. He has been waiting for me to tell Him about my struggles, my pain, my wanderings, my thoughts, my feelings, and my searching. It is not unwanted news to Him and it comes as no surprise to Him.

He knows that acknowledging truth to Him forces me to admit it to myself. Also, acknowledging truth to Him acknowledges Him as my Source. Every day becomes an opportunity to see and say how much I need Him. There is no restoration, redemption, reform, or renewal without Him. For those of us who expect perfection from ourselves and cringe at the thought of failure, this is a process we must take one step at a time and look to God for the grace to do so. Getting out in the light what has stayed in the dark for so long is the beginning of change. When I am tempted to view my Christian life as always taking one step forward and two steps backwards, God is not seeing it that way. He wants me to know that honesty with Him is NEVER a step backwards. Seeing that for myself is what He wants for me. May I align myself with His view.

Father, I can finally look at You when I speak the truth. With You there is no need to hide, live with shame, or back away. May I freely admit what You already know about me. Amen.

Live What You Learn

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 2 Timothy 3:14 (New King James Version)

I learned something about sources earlier this week. We had an on going battle in our home against large, black ants in our kitchen. They seemed to be coming from the refrigerator area but we couldn’t find their point of entry. The mystery was solved when I happened to look at the top of our refrigerator and discovered several open packages of honey! There, like a multitude of cattle around a watering hole, were at least thirty ants with a dozen more making their way up and down the side of the refrigerator. I promptly removed the source of enjoyment for them, along with their lifeless bodies, and the problem was solved. Until I removed the source, it would have done no good to just kill the ants.

God used this experience to enlighten me on a principle that I needed to apply to my life. All areas of struggle have a source. Until I discover the source and deal with it, I will not see victory in those areas of struggle. “Stomping” on the symptoms will not be good enough.

This was a timely lesson for me because within the day I was to see my own source that needed to be admitted and removed. For me, it was a lie I had come to believe. The result was that I walked in condemnation of myself and another person, felt an internal weight that would not go away, lacked real joy on most days, harbored negative emotions, and could not seem to move forward on my journey. People who knew me saw the struggle as well as the result of self-deception. They urged me to walk in the truth and prayed that God would help me to do that. But my biggest hurdle was that I could not see that the lie I was believing was a lie so it stayed secure in my mind. It was only recently that I was finally convinced of the truth and was able to call out the lie! With the removal of the “source” of my struggle came a removal of the daily symptoms.

And this morning God is inviting me to continue living out the lesson He has taught me! It was not a one time event in His eyes. Continuing will mean whenever there is a struggle I am to seek the source and get rid of it! I am convinced it will work every time if I will just do it! It is my responsibility and joy to live what I have learned.

Father, I stand in awe of the way You work. Amen.

When the Statements are Difficult

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" John 6:60 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever felt like some of Jesus’ disciples when they could not grasp what was being told to them? His “difficult statements” were often hard for them to take in and digest. Resistance was strong even among his own followers. A phone conversation two evenings ago caused me to feel like them. What was being said was true and meant for my ears, but the statements were difficult to receive. God was using a dear friend to help me confront some lies I had been believing and that were hindering me from walking in truth and hence in freedom. It gave me much to think about the following day and for most of the day I was not doing well at releasing the lies and embracing the truth. Many of you will understand when I tell you my day was not marked with peace, joy, or contentment. By late afternoon I was exhausted and ended up taking a four hour nap. Oh the joy of physical rest that can lead to spiritual renewal!

What seemed so hard to understand just a day ago has begun to make a lot of sense now. What once kept me in turmoil has subsided. My perspective has changed and with that change has come the ability to see truth and stand on it! If I want a God-filled life and I want freedom it is going to come from living out of my spirit not my flesh. When I view relationships, situations, and circumstances simply through my flesh I am missing most of the picture. Whereas when I view those things through my spirit, which lives connected to God, I can begin to see what God wants me to see. Seeing others in a bad light, harboring suspicions, and living with a sense of condemnation are all signs that I am looking at things from my flesh. God’s Spirit, who lives in me, wants to change all that. He wants me to receive and digest information via my spirit because that is the part of me that is awakened to God’s voice and influence. My flesh will never get it right and my spirit will never get it wrong.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is a spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. May those words define the way I live my Christian life! I have not seen the end of difficult statements. But hopefully from now on they will be heard with spirit ears instead of fleshly ears. Hopefully my ability to understand what is being said will be more acute.

Father, help me to live out of my spirit rather than my flesh. As I do so, the transformation will be evident and profound. Amen.

When Scripture Lives

You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out. Psalm 88:8 (New American Standard Bible)

Well known author and speaker, Beth Moore, has said, “God’s Word is alive and active in me.” I see the truth of her statement every time Scripture pin-points an area in my life and reads like a “tell all” book of my heart. I stand amazed that not only does God know me thoroughly but exposes much about myself in His Word. But He doesn’t stop there, He guides me in steps of application.

Like many of you, I have lived today’s verse. The removal of acquaintances, the feeling of being an object of loathing to them, and the sense of being shut up and unable to escape. Such prisons of the heart and mind are very confining but not impossible to leave. For me it is a matter of changing my thoughts and that on which I choose to dwell. Each time I experience imprisoned moments they are more and more uncomfortable and my desire to be free is greater. My most recent “incarceration” ended when I realized I don’t have to keep thinking through the same issues or continue asking myself the same unanswerable questions. The sky is the limit when it comes to what I can meditate on through out the day. Negative, destructive thoughts close the prison door, but truthful, right thoughts are my keys to freedom. It is not just a matter of positive thinking. It is a matter of obedience that produces freedom.

I find it interesting that as soon as I come out of my “cell” God is ready with some precious truths that speak powerfully to me. One such truth came while reading COME AWAY MY BELOVED by Francis J. Roberts. She writes entries that sound like God is speaking in the first person. It gave me one of those clear pictures I needed in order to replace the distorted images in my mind. It will be a thought I embrace and recall throughout today. She wrote, “I have deliberately put thorns in your nest in order to drive you forth. I understand your reluctance, but I shall surely deal with you until you break out of your bondage.” I take comfort in seeing God’s ultimate goal for me.

Father, I have felt the thorns. Forgive my reluctance to move and keep dealing with me until my bondage is broken. Amen.

Asking For and Receiving Help

He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. 2 Samuel 10:11 (New American Standard Bible)

A war had been declared against Israel based solely on false accusation and suspicion. When David sought to extend comfort to the king of the Ammonites after the death of his father, his actions came into question and the new king hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers to join him in battle against Israel. His plan ended in defeat but today’s verse has captured my attention, because it shed’s light on an aspect of the body of Christ that I have often struggled to grasp.

Just as I spent decades with skewed thinking in regards to God and what He is really like, I have spent recent years with skewed thinking in regards to living out the Christian life….particularly when it comes to seeking advice and help from other Christians versus complete reliance on God alone. In my mind it often became an “either or” scenario. Victory meant God alone and if I dared to confide in a fellow believer it meant I was failing. At the same time, I knew the verses that spoke of encouraging one another and praying for one another. A conversation with a friend last night and an email from another friend later in the evening both assured me that this aspect of the body of Christ was meant to be embraced by me. Not feared! Not denied! Not kept at arm’s length!

God in His graciousness has once again used His Word to give me the “permission” and freedom I am needing. When I read the words “too strong” and “help me” I knew they were meant for me. My personal internal battles are not meant to be fought independent of the believers God places in my life. Ultimately HE is the One who will set me free in areas of bondage and strongholds but He has also strategically placed “foot soldiers” across my path to be His hands, mouth piece, and heart to me. I dare not continue to say, “Thank you but no thank you” to the One who is so readily offering me His help through people. Their help, encouragement, and counsel is available if I will but reach out and accept it. May God help each of us to ask for and offer help when the things we “fight” are too strong for us. God does not call any of us to be totally isolated soldiers in His Kingdom work!

Father, I once again open myself up to receive what You are graciously providing to me through Your children. May my walls of resistance and fear fall as I ask for and receive their help. Amen.