Category: Prayer

My Most Empowering Prayer

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Open Hands shutterstock_339631844

Many people limit prayer to their understanding of what is “spiritually important.” They don’t want to bother God, or they don’t think God is really interested in everyday matters.

What, then, do we make of Jesus’ words, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

Here’s my working principle: If it matters to me, it matters to God.

So how do we apply this to our daily responsibilities?

What burden(s) do you feel as you live for the Lord in daily life?

One significant aspect of my vocation is communicating God’s Word through preaching, teaching and writing. The burden of this responsibility has grown as I’ve seen how powerless I am to change human hearts and minds. I may be interesting or even inspiring for a moment, but that falls far short of “taking every thought captive to obey Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

My work as a pastor is like many other careers. There is, however, a unique dynamic to ministry that affects us all, whether we serve as “volunteers” or as our vocational calling. It’s expressed well by P. T. Forsyth (1848–1921), a Scottish theologian.

The work of ministry labors under one heavy disadvantage when we regard it as a profession and compare it with other professions. In these [other professions], experience brings facility, a sense of mastery in the subject, self-satisfaction, self-confidence; but in our subject [of ministry], the more we pursue it, the more we enter into it, so much more are we cast down with the overwhelming sense not only of our insufficiency, but of our unworthiness.

No wonder Paul asked, “Who is sufficient (competent) for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

I have found hope in Jesus’ words to his disciples, “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes” (Luke 12:11-12, The Message).

Based on this promise, I have developed a prayer that has energized my preparation and presentations for many years. “Lord, give me what you want to give me for your people.” And before I speak, I pray, “Lord, give us what you want to give us in this time.” (I mentioned this briefly in my blog “Pray with Open Hands,” September 23, 2019).

It’s a joy hearing people comment, “That message (blog, teaching) was just what I needed. I felt like you were speaking right to me.”

Recently, I spoke at a men’s gathering at our church we call Man Night. The next day I received this email:

Doug thanks for last night. After a very long day yesterday, while getting the kids off to the High School group and my wife off to her Bible study, I told her I was fried and would probably skip Man Night. I was worn out and just not feeling it for some reason.  Then God tapped me on the shoulder, telling me I ought to go.

Then this man, whom I’ll call James, described how he remembered my talk was on staying motivated as Jesus’ disciples—and that he really needed motivation. In my talk, I presented Jesus’ strategy of invitation, not condemnation. I departed from my notes and made some applications to parenting. I shared how it’s easy for parents to become anxious and pressure our children. We condemn them instead of discovering how to invite them into God’s better way. “James” continued his email:

I feel like we’re continually condemning our high schoolers, which just causes more of arguments. So, the power and confidence to back off on the condemnation and instead model Jesus, guiding more through grace, like the examples you gave, was powerful medicine. Thanks be to God.

So, I came for one message, but was moved by another that I wasn’t thinking about, but I really needed help with.  Sounds just about the way God works.  Sometimes the most important thing is just showing up.

I had not planned to speak on parenting, but that was what the Holy Spirit gave me to give these men, especially James.

Prayer can empower us to fulfill the most significant responsibilities of our lives.

The Lord is ready to give his blessings to others through us. The big question is: Are we ready to receive them and pass them on?

“Lord, give us what you want to give others through us. In the strong name of Jesus. Amen!”

Christmas Reminders: A Prayer in the Rush

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Christmas Reminder shutterstock_523368460

In the midst of the Christmas rush, I need continual reminders to keep my focus on the Lord. I have found it helpful to look beneath my immediate experience to a spiritual analogy. Here’s a prayer I initially wrote for use in worship that I now use regularly during Advent.

Lord, when we rush and rush this season, remind us that the only time You rushed was to welcome home Your returning prodigal.

When we search and search for just the right gift for that special someone, remind us that we are Your special people, and that You gave us the perfect gift in Jesus Christ.

When we weep at the tenderness of care shown in movies and on television, remind us to express that compassion and generosity in our own lives.

When we find ourselves overwhelmed with so many places to go, remind us that everywhere we go needs the light of Your love.

When we feel alone, and everyone else seems to have someone who cares for them, remind us that someone needs what we can share.

When we suddenly realize that we have forgotten You, remind us that we are always on Your mind.

When we get caught up in the good things of this world, remind us that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

When we gather with close family members–but don’t feel so close, remind us that you gave us this family to love.

And when Christmas is over, and we are packing up the ornaments and taking out the tree, remind us of the tree on which You gave Your Life so that our lives would never, never end.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Enjoy his grace and goodness at all times, in all places. A blessed Christmas to you.

Pray with Open Hands

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Jesus Gethsemane Duane Unruh_IMG_4941
“Jesus in Gethsemane” sculpted by Duane Unruh

Sometimes I forget what I’ve said in my preaching. That’s not unusual. But what often surprises me is when others remember what I said—and communicate how God used it in their life.

Several years ago we received a fairly large package that was unusually heavy. We weren’t expecting anything, so we were intrigued. I looked at the return address and saw it was from a dear friend, Duane.  Duane was one of the “pillars” in our previous congregation in Kansas City. A wise, gracious, deeply spiritual man. He was also a Hallmark artist and had his own “signature line” of Christmas ornaments. Quite an honor.

We opened the box and saw what you see in my (amateur!) photo above: a bronze sculpture of Jesus kneeling in Gethsemane. Look closely. Do you notice anything different in Jesus’ posture? He is most often pictured with his hands either folded or facing downward in prayer.

I have a different concept for our posture in prayer—and Duane remembered that.

Duane was in a prayer group I recruited and trained to pray during the worship services. We talked much about principles, practices, and postures for prayer. “What I remember most,” wrote Duane, “was that you prayed with your hands open and invited others to do the same. That has changed the way I pray.”

Open hands: We are empty.

Ultimately, we come to God with nothing but ourselves. And that is enough.

The Bible assures that, in spite of our emptiness, the Lord God, who rules the universe and all eternity, wants to connect with us. Psalm 8 expresses this wonder:

3 When I consider your heavens,

    the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

    which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

    human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4 NIV).

Those who engage with the Lord in prayer quickly see their emptiness apart from God. Don’t confuse “empty” with worthless. We are of priceless value to the Lord. Open hands remind us, however, that we do not come to God with pride, holding up our achievements as if we have something to offer that God is missing. We come in grateful humility. The lyrics from the gospel hymn, Rock of Ages, say it best, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”

Open hands: We are letting go.

Prayer enables us to release our burdens, our regrets, and even our expectations to the Lord who listens and cares.

Time with God in prayer awakens growing confidence in God’s wisdom and power. And it loosens our grip on our preferences. We surrender because we learn that is the only way to victory. We don’t have to cling to the heavy yoke we impose on ourselves.

Open hands: We are receptive.

We are expectant.

“We must not conceive of prayer as overcoming God’s reluctance, but as laying hold of his highest willingness.” Archbishop Trench

When I prepare for any message (including this blog) I open my hands and pray, “Lord, give me what you want to give me for your people.” I am ready to receive God’s provision.

Paul reminds to expect God to work by considering what God has already done in Christ.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV).

God has already given Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. Having invested so much in us, why would God stop now? The Lord wants us to experience the full benefits of salvation and to be equipped for continuing his work in this world.

It’s worth meditating on this verse again, this time reading from The Message paraphrase:

“If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?”

Open your hands in humility, freedom and expectation.

Why Bother to Pray?

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One of the most basic questions on prayer is this: “Why bother to pray?”

Does prayer really change things? Does prayer really make a difference?

Many people get stuck and don’t pray because they have the wrong concept of prayer. They ask philosophical questions instead of relationship questions.

The questions aren’t: “If God knows everything – why must we ask for things in prayer? Does God really need to be informed? Is prayer merely data transmission?“ These philosophical questions have their place. But they don’t come first.

The primary question is: “If the Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier), created me, saved me and loves me, how can I not pray?!” Prayer is about our relationship with God long before it considers cause-and-effect or the dynamic relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.

Why bother to pray?

Prayer “Centers” Us.

We bring ourselves to every relationship. Are we bringing our “whole self,” or just “partial attention”? Centering is being truly “present” in the moment. Centering means focusing our attention and energy, our heart, mind and body on the ultimate priority of life: our relationship with the Lord. (In other words, put your phone away!).

Centering in prayer is like taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. Simply stepping back to focus on the Lord often brings a sense of peace. Try it now.

“Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).

Prayer Clarifies

Prayer is like “getting up on the balcony,” to use an image from Harvard MBA professor Ron Heifetz.

In high school I played first trumpet in the marching band. We learned all kinds of formations for half time shows (which were watched by our parents only!). On the field, it seemed like chaos. But from the stands people could see, understand and appreciate the patterns.

When we pray, we not only step back to catch our breath, but we climb up to a higher place.

This is one reason Jesus spent nights in prayer as he sought wisdom about his ministry, as when he selected his 12 disciples (Luke 6:12-16).

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1: 5 NIV).

The ultimate and fundamental reason we “bother to pray” is because…

Prayer Connects Us with God

Prayer centers us and clarifies things because we connect with God.

Prayer is not like making a list for Santa Claus! Prayer is like a conversation with your best friend, cherished mentor, loving parent.

This is a time for a brief comment on one of those philosophical questions: “If God knows, why ask?”

The answer lies in the fact that prayer is not about information.

Prayer is conversation with the Living Lord. Jesus’ prayed earnestly, not because he needed something, but because he wanted to talk with his Father.

“… Your Father know what you need before you ask him. This, then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father…’” (Matthew 6:9).

Prayer begins not with something we want to ask of God, but with something God wants to ask of us!

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:15-17 NLT).

Prayer is not ultimately about making requests and getting answers. Prayer brings us into heart fellowship with the Living Lord as beloved daughters and sons.

What Would Jesus Pray? (WWJP)

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It’s all too common to approach prayer as an obligation. It’s like a duty we know we should fulfill, rather than a joyful engagement. If you’re like me, you wish there was more to our experience of prayer. How do we change prayer from being like placing just another “online order” for our list of needs?

As a new believer I learned a Scripture that said Jesus “ever liveth to make intercession” for us, quoting the King James Version of Hebrews 7:25. Sadly, I didn’t really realize the implications of this verse for many years.

There’s a powerful picture here. You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “What would Jesus do?” (from Charles Sheldon’s famous book, In His Steps, published in 1896). It became popular again a number of years ago with the acronym WWJD. The verse from the Letter to the Hebrews made me think of a variation on that: “What would Jesus pray?”

Here’s a contemporary translation of that verse in context. “Because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. (Hebrews 7:24-25 New Living Translation).

My prayer life has been energized by mediating on how Jesus is praying (interceding) for us.

As I enter into prayer, I begin by centering on this verse, picturing Jesus seated on the throne of heaven with our Heavenly Father.  It’s a holy conversation. They are lovingly discussing their family members.

I picture them discussing the person on my heart. What does our holy, loving Lord want to do in his or her life? It’s like the breath of the Holy Spirit inspires my prayers. Instead of a list of “Please, Lord…” or “Lord, I hope…” phrases, I begin to pray with confidence rooted in God’s promises of mercy and grace. I pray like this:

“Lord, thank you for interceding for my friend, and carrying their burden with them. I am so grateful they are not alone and that you are making your presence known to them…”

“Lord, thank you for hearing the heart desires of my loved one. I know you are asking us to trust your timing, your wisdom, your power…”

Jesus’ prayers in the gospel give us numerous examples of how to pray. I have found praying the Lord’s Prayer over a person opens new vistas for creative intercession. Here’s a paraphrase I use as a framework. For convenience and clarity, I’ll frame this in terms of a prayer for my wife, Sarah, and include the New Living translation of Matthew 6:9-13 as a heading for each petition.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy (Matthew 6:9);

Our Father in heaven, thank you for adopting Sarah into your family and caring for her as your precious daughter. Come in the power of your Holy Spirit to bring honor to your name through her by the way she thinks, acts and lives.

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10);

Our Father, I pray Sarah will experience the love and power of your sovereign rule in her life. I know you want to work through her to bring your love, your care, your power, your life into ever relationship and every responsibility.

Give us today the food we need (Matthew 6:11);

Lord, Sarah and all of us rely on you to provide for our needs: physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially, vocationally, in relationships and in every other way. You provided manna in the wilderness for your people during the Exodus, and provide yourself as the Bread of Life for us through your life, death and resurrection. Reassure Sarah that you are with her to provide her every need and continue to give her a spirit of confidence and gratitude, trusting you at all times.

and forgive us our sins (Matthew 6:12);

Our Heavenly Father, we are still all-too-human. Your work in us has begun, but is not yet completed. Let Sarah know the cleansing gifts of your mercy (in not giving us the judgement we all deserve) and your grace (in giving us the favor none of us deserve). Release her from regret, shame and self-condemnation. Silence the voice of the Accuser of your children, the evil one.

    …as we have forgiven those who sin against us (Matthew 6:12);

Merciful God, we are all quick to keep records of wrong done against us and to hold grudges instead of holding on to you. Heal Sarah’s wounds, her sense of being devalued, and whatever other pain has lodged in her heart. Give her both the willingness and the will to release others from the consequences their words and actions have generated. Help her surrender her right to hurt them in return.

And don’t let us yield to temptation (Matthew 6:13).

Lord, there is an enemy eager to trip us up and see us fail. And too often we all-too-willingly go along with him. Awaken your power within Sarah to resist temptation. Give her eyes to discern the evil lurking in the shadows of the world and even in her own heart. When the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, come in your power to keep her heart, mind, soul and body stayed on You.

…but rescue us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13).

Almighty God, we are so vulnerable to the powers of darkness. Dress Sarah in your amour (Ephesians 6:10-18) so she will stand strong against the evil one. Above all, Lord, protect her by your power and might.

When we begin to pray with holy imagination, inspired by God’s Spirit using God’s Word– prayer becomes an experience far beyond an online order! I invite you to make a simple sign to post in a number of places: WWJP.

A Prayer to Make Easter Real in Our Lives Now

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Garden Tomb
The traditional Garden Tomb in Jerusalem

For Jesus’ followers, Easter is the defining moment in the history of the world and in our personal history. But it is so easy to lose sight of the Easter Reality. Scottish preacher James Stewart spoke truth when he said we too often live on the wrong side of Easter.

Too often in our churches we are still on the wrong side of Easter. We are like the groping, fumbling disciples between Good Friday and the Resurrection. How our congregations would worship, with what joy and eagerness and abandon the sacrifice of praise would rise to God, if all worshipers knew themselves in very truth to be sons and daughters of the Resurrection! (from his book Heralds of God, pp.92-93).

An Easter spirituality means living in the unwavering confidence that Life, not death (in all its manifestations), has the last word.  The Apostle Paul calls us to see life through what I call “resurrection eyes.”

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT).

To help me live into the right side of Easter and to see life with “resurrection eyes,” I have written a number of prayers in my journal. Here’s one that I’ve written and am praying daily now. (By the way, this prayer is titled to reflect the new life we have in Christ now as we await the consummation of history and the bodily resurrection from death promised to all who believe. The best is yet to be!).

AN EASTER PRAYER: We are risen!

Lord, I believe you are risen!
Make me alive in you!
Strike down the guards of this world who try to keep me in the grave of lifeless worldliness.
Lift me up from the stone slab of this world’s false comforts and deceptive promises.
Unwrap me from the grave clothes of my past failures,
from the bondage of regret,
from all that keeps me from you.
Roll away the stone others have put over my life,
sealing me in the darkness of loneliness.
Lord, set me free, and let me shout, ‘Hallelujah!’
Christ is risen!
He is risen Indeed!
Christ is risen,
and I am risen with Him — Today!

If Angels Could Envy

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I have been fascinated by the thought that our faith, in and of itself, glorifies God. This shouldn’t surprise us when we think about the way a person’s faith in us expresses affirmation and inspires our best effort. When someone says, “I know you can handle this,” that faith itself energizes us.

The rest of the “spiritual world” — angels and the “principalities and powers” (Ephesians 6:12)– knows “by experience” the reality of God. James affirms that even the demons believe. “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19 RSV).

We alone, humanity created in God’s image, experience God by faith. We alone “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Why? I think it is, in part, to glorify God in the eyes of the rest of the spiritual world. When the angels see our faith, they give glory to God. When the powers of darkness see our faith, they are baffled and discouraged. Our trust now honors God in a way unlike those who experience God “directly” in the spiritual world.

The first seeds of this thought were planted by a quote from Forbes Robinson in a book I often read for soul nourishment. It’s advice to a young pastor that easily applies to all of Jesus’ followers.

I think I have told you of my father’s words spoken during his last illness: “If I had a thousand lives I would give them all, all to the ministry.” You will not regret your decision.  If angels could envy, how they would envy us our splendid chance, to be able, in a world where everything unseen must be taken on sheer faith, in a world where the contest between the flesh and the spirit is being decided for the universe, not only to win the battle ourselves but also to win it for others!  To help a brother [or sister] up the mountain while you yourself are only just able to keep your foothold, to struggle through the mist together, that surely is better than to stand at the summit and beckon.

Forbes Robinson quoted in John W. Doberstein, Minister’s Prayer Book (Philadelphia, PA, Fortress Press, 1986), 203-04.

Jesus affirmed this in his post-resurrection encounter with “doubting Thomas”:

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:27-29 RSV).

So what? Glorifying God is more than praise and worship. We glorify and honor God when we show the world that God is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21).

I am learning to say to myself over and over again, “God’s got this.”

Worried about your job? “God’s got this.”

Concerned about your future? “God’s got this.”

Caught in a conflict? “God’s got this.”

Waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for an answer to your prayer? “God’s got this.”

Faith is not simply what you believe. It is believing now, trusting now, resting confidently on God’s grace and wisdom and ultimate goodness now.

So here’s a prayer to awaken your faith, “Lord, help me bring glory to you by trusting you now. You got this! Amen!”

 

 

How can I know God cares?

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Bedford Baptist Church
First Baptist Church of Bedford, Massachusetts

I think most of us have a hard time believing God really cares, really loves us, and is really watching what goes on in our lives. Then you have one of those experiences that makes it clear.

During my first two years of seminary I served as an intern at First Baptist Church in Bedford, Massachusetts. Of the many special people there, Paul and Elsa had become dear friends. They were a couple in their early sixties who knew and shared the joy of the Lord. Paul was a school teacher and Elsa was a nurse who worked in order to provide the financial means necessary to care for their developmentally-disabled grown daughter.

On my last day there Paul and Elsa arrived early, before the evening service. They asked to speak to Sarah and me privately. They shared how much they had enjoyed our two years with their congregation. They handed us a card but said, “Now before you open it, we need to tell a story.”

“Elsa and I have been praying for you two daily for the past few weeks,” began Paul. “One morning the Lord impressed on my heart that we were to give you something special. I was a bit surprised by what he seemed to want, but I prayed about it and decided to talk it over with Elsa.”

“What Paul didn’t know,” chimed in Elsa, with a sparkle in her eyes, “was that the Lord was saying the same thing to me.”

When they discussed it together they were pleasantly surprised to find that God had put the same idea on the their hearts at the same time!

“God wants you to have this! So go ahead and open the card!”

I opened it, and out fell a check.

“We had each written down the amount the Lord told us on a piece of paper, traded papers and opened them at the same time— and it was the same amount.”

It was a check for $500! From this dear couple who had little “extra” to share.

“We felt the Lord wanted you to have this as you start your family.”

I was speechless. Sarah and I both were moved to tears. How could Paul and Elsa have known that we had been praying about starting our family? The gift of money itself was amazing, but their sense of the purpose for the money showed God’s care in a way I had never seen it before. The Lord moved through others to supply a need we hadn’t shared with another soul. (I told this story in my book Questions God Asks, Questions Satan Asks, Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988, p. 234-235.)

I have never been able to share that story without tears welling up in my eyes. God is so good. Worry denies or distracts us from the evidence that God takes care of us every single day– even if we don’t notice it.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:31-33 NLT).

The Lord used Paul and Elsa to convince us, as we stood poised on the brink of ministry, that he literally knows our needs before we even ask him. Bless the Lord– and bless his people who listen and are part of his provision.

“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV)

Now some of you may not have a dramatic story like this to share. Or it could be that you may have forgotten that time (or those times) God truly showed his grace and mercy. We walk by faith, not by sight—but always watch to see God’s hand at work. When God works, write it down in your journal—and go back to it often to fuel your faith and gratitude.

 

“Lord, you have a problem here…”

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I was talking with a friend who had experienced a remarkable healing from cancer. It was hard to distinguish between the effectiveness of medicine and the power of prayer, but my friend, Laura, gave God the glory. Then after a number of years the cancer returned.

“I’ve told everyone God healed me. Now what?” she asked through tears.

“So what are your prayers like now?” I asked.

She said, with a smile breaking through the tears, “I’ve been saying, ‘Lord, you have a problem here!’”

I never thought of a prayer like that. At first it seemed a bit presumptuous to me, as if God were obligated to help her for the sake of his own reputation. But her spirit was humble. She was trusting God, not testing God. So I continued exploring Scripture with her prayer in mind.

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures (James 4:2-3 NIV).

Laura was not being selfish. She truly wanted people to be encouraged to trust God because of her story.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9-11 NLT).

Countless scriptures call us to pray based on God’s love for us as cherished children. God wants to be part of our lives and for us to be equipped for his work.

I began to realize I often limited my prayers to my own imagination. If I couldn’t see a practical, reasonable answer, then I wasn’t sure how to pray. Laura released her concern to the Lord, without any need to “filter” her request through questions like, “What’s really possible now?” or “Lord, how could you ever do this?”

I experienced a breakthrough in prayer when I realized I didn’t have the figure out the answer to my prayer. I could just lay the problem at the Lord’s feet—and let go. It wasn’t up to me to solve it. I learned to say, “Describe, don’t prescribe.” Don’t try to tell God how to make it happen.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

I hope you understand what I mean when I say I think God enjoys “showing off” sometimes. Not to build God’s ego—that’s ridiculous. But to delight us with the wonder of it all.

Think about God’s creativity

…with Abraham and Sarah giving birth to a child, Isaac, when they were far past child-bearing capabilities (Genesis 18);

…with Gideon doing battle with an army of 300 instead of 30,000 (Judges 7);

…with Elijah and the widow of Zerephath experiencing the miracle of God providing flour and oil for months during a time of famine (1 Kings 17).

Then there is the experience of King Jehoshaphat facing the invasion of three armies coming against Judah. He prayed, “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). The next morning, they gathered with the choir ahead of the army and began to worship.

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another (2 Chronicles 20:22-23 ESV).

My faith grows when I see God work in ways I could never imagine. I love it when I look around and say, “Wow! I never saw that coming!”

If I could figure it out, I wouldn’t depend on God.

Don’t prescribe, just describe. And watch our creative God work!

 

When All You Can do is Weep

Doug RumfordLeave a comment

When we feel powerless in the face of tragedy and wickedness, there is still one thing we can do.

“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” (Ezekiel 9:4).

The fall of 2017 has been a cascade of catastrophe. Hurricanes have devastated significant areas of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands, and most recently, Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the US. An earthquake in Mexico City claimed 200+ lives. In Southeast Asia over 1,200 lost their lives and over 41 million people have been affected by monsoon rains that have brought flooding and landslides. Even more troubling than natural disasters are those tragedies that have resulted from human aggression. Terrorist attacks and random acts of violence continue, seeming to escalate in scale. For a list that will take your breath away, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_2017 for a compilation of day-by-day attacks around the world. Then there was Las Vega massacre of October 1 when Stephen Paddock killed at least 58 people and wounded over 500 in the worst mass shooting in United States history.

Some would interpret all these events as signs of the End Times. While, indeed, Jesus could return at any moment, I see these as signs that our world needs Jesus’ followers to pray and serve as we never have before. God’s people have often been at the forefront in giving their time, money and caring compassion to help in times of crisis. That is good, and it must increase. It may be, however, that in certain circumstances, all we can do is weep, grieving over the heartache and suffering the world inflicts on humanity, crying out to God over the brokenness and profound alienation that wreak havoc on human hearts, minds and bodies.

I’m not one given to passivity or inactivity. I want to “fix” situations. My dad always, “Don’t create problems. Solve them.” There are many situations, however, where I don’t have the power, the authority, the resources, the intelligence, or the influence to do anything. And who can “fix” the human heart bent on evil? Who is able to see into the deeply, deeply troubled minds behind these random acts to bring healing and wholeness? We cannot create enough “security arrangements” to prevent all those who truly want to do harm from perpetrating their wicked schemes. What now?

The situation described in The Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament shows the power of continuing to care in the face of a heartless, cruel, and often godless (or worshiping-the-wrong-gods) world. Around 597 B. C. the prophet Ezekiel was taken into exile in Babylon (over 900 miles from Jerusalem) at the time when God was finally bringing judgement against his idolatrous people. Their persistent disobedience and continual refusal to repent was resulting in the logical and natural consequences God had warned would come. What gives me hope as I read this passage, however, is that God would have mercy on those who continued to honor and love him and who continued to show compassion, yearning for repentance and new life for their loved ones, neighbors and friends. We read this in Ezekiel 91-4:

Then I heard [The LORD] call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”  (NIV)

The man in linen was to mark those weep. What has always moved me most deeply about this passage is that the Lord notices our tears. There are many verses that have this same message.

“Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll; are they not in your record?” (Psalm 56:8 New International Version NIV). The King James Version says, “…put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”

“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17 NIV).

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NIV).

In Ezekiel 9 we read that in the midst of judgment, the Lord instructed his executioners “…touch no one on whom is the mark” (Ezekiel 9:6). This echoes the Passover account in Exodus 12 when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Israelites who had offered the sacrifice of the lamb and put the blood on their door frames. In Ezekiel, God’s mercy extended to those who grieved over the godlessness, idolatry and disobedience of the people around them. Those who grieved did not retaliate in anger against those in sin. They brought their broken hearts to the Lord.

We cannot control the world that has rejected God and gone its own way. We cannot control other people who’ve done the same. We can, however, continue to keep our hearts soft.  Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, said, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” That is a powerful prayer. It may, as in Bob’s case, move us to action. At the very least, it moves us to bearing the burden of the Lord’s heart in our hearts in this fallen world.

Many of us respond more quickly with anger than with an anguished heart.

Or we fall into despair instead of turning to God in “desperate devotion.”

Or we want to take action against people in public instead of bringing our righteous indignation in humility before the Lord in prayer.

Sometimes all you can do is weep, letting your tears fall in prayer. Sometimes all you can do is weep—and that is doing something.