Prayer

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2016: Page 2

Page two in my page-a-day book of 2016 began by covering 5 of the last 6 hours of the 30 Hours of Prayer I led for my church.  From midnight until 5 AM I prayed, listened for God’s direction and insight, and even napped a bit.  As I walked the path through the prayer rooms, I took the time to read what others had written during the previous 24 hours.  I joined in praising God with them and praying for their concerns.  My anger and discouragement from having such a long time period with no participants began to melt away to be replaced by a satisfaction that my work was making a difference in the lives of some.  How many times has God created the perfect atmosphere and called me to spend time with Him only to see me choose other things?  I was reminded of Samuel’s discouragement and feelings of rejection when the people of Israel wanted a king.  God’s response to Samuel was that he was not the primary one being rejected rather the people were rejecting God as their king.  I don’t know if the failure of people to show up and pray was a rejection of God by them or not, but God did remind me that it wasn’t a rejection of me.

The 30 Hours of Prayer ran overtime a bit as the person in the last time slot spent more than their hour with God.  Their appreciation for the work that went in to putting the prayer focus together and the helpfulness that it was to them was a reminder that I had indeed done what I was supposed to do and that the empty slots in the schedule were not my problem.  This encouragement filled me as I spent several hours putting things away and returning the building and rooms to their normal setup so everything was ready for the weekend and the return of the schools from break.  The rest of the day’s “page” was a mix of napping and relaxing with a trip to Sam’s Club thrown in so I could be ready for the potential of coming snow by replacing the snow blower that had been stolen from the church.

All in all, I would say page two was a reminder of the confidence I should have in Christ.  I have so many examples of my not being enough or good enough for people that I sometimes begin to believe them.  Page two says that my value and acceptance come from Christ and are not based on how pleasing I am to others.

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2016: Page 1

The first page of this year’s story has been lived and it was a full one!  Technically, each day on our calendar begins at midnight and lasts until the next midnight comes around but rarely am I awake to experience both ends of the calendar day.  It is interesting that page one of my 2016 story begins with an exam — a test that experience says I will see again and again.  The setting was not a typical exam setting.  In fact, I suspect many of the tests of life come in times and places that are not what we would expect.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, my day began in a prayer circle with six of my friends as we closed out a New Year’s Eve prayer service and launched a 30 Hours of Prayer event to start the new year.  As we joined hands in that circle, I had a choice to make.  A choice between being encouraged or discouraged.  I know, some of you are probably thinking, “You’re in a prayer circle, how can you be discouraged?”.  Yet that was my initial reaction.  See, I was leading the prayer service and the 30 hours of prayer that would follow.  Faced with a 30 hour schedule with 8 unfilled time slots and only six people to join me for the prayer service kicking off the event, the expectations I had created in my mind were not being met.  Unfortunately, my mind immediately went to all the people who weren’t there and hadn’t signed up.  As the day progressed and the clocked rolled around to the start of the next, I realized that to pass this exam I must take captive this thought of discouragement.  My mind needed to shift directions and see the six who began this year’s story with me as we prayed together.  I needed to see the 22 hours that were filled with people praying at the building.  I needed to see the desire and excitement expressed by those who chose to participate.  Most of all, I think I needed to see God’s Word calling me to be faithful and not holding me responsible for the decisions of others.

Yes, I would have loved to see the building full of people for the prayer service because they wanted to come together and pray.  Yes, it would have been nice to see all 30 hours of the schedule filled with names of people to the extent that each hour had multiple people in the building praying.  But neither of those results were my responsibility!  In prayer, I put together the best resources and environment that I could to help people find an atmosphere conducive to growth in their prayer life.  That is what I believe God had called me to do for page one of my 2016 story.  And as the writing of page one came to an end with my covering one of the empty time slots, instead of being discouraged I believe I could hear that gentle whisper of encouragement from the One who matters most — “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Well done.”

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Refugees Among Us

I’ve avoided writing this post because I know I don’t understand all of the complexities of the specific refugee crisis currently fueling much public debate and I seriously doubt that many of those debating it online have much greater understanding than I do.  I’m not writing to take sides because you really don’t need to know my opinion on Syrian refugees any more than I need to know yours.  In my opinion, the bigger question, regardless of which side of the current debate you want to claim, is what are you doing to be Christ to the refugees that are often conveniently ignored?  I think of the refugees who are trying to escape a life of addiction. The refugees trying to be free from a life filled with domestic violence.  The refugees who have served time and need help to keep them from returning to a life of crime.  The refugees of poverty, homelessness, fear, disease, loss, rejection, and/or a mind that’s not functioning as perhaps it once did.  Yes, there are many within our midst who are living as refugees from some traumatic event in their life . . and no, I’m not trying to diminish the trouble and horror faced by refugees from war-torn countries . . . I guess what I’m trying to say is that I believe the actions that you and I take toward the “hidden” refugees in our own cities probably have a lot more to say about our real heart toward refugees than any of our shouting ever will.

So, if you’ve made it this far in the post without deleting it, blocking me, or writing an angry response, here is a list taken from the Hope Ministries website of items that they have need of as they minister to people of my community who are seeking refuge from situations that I haven’t experienced.  I’m guessing most organizations serving in similar ways have a similar list of needs.  I know where God is calling me to start. As you pray, what is He calling you to do?

List from Hope Ministries – South Bend of items needed:

Tampons and pads
Baby wipes
Shaving cream
Men’s t-shirts (Med, LG, XL)
Umbrellas
Band-Aid
Toothpaste
Denture adhesive
Panty Liners
Household cleaning supplies (dish soap, antibacterial cleaners, mops, brooms, etc)
Toilet paper
Ibuprofen and pain relievers
Kleenex
Ear plugs
Transpo Bus 2-Ride Passes
Bath towels
Clean pillows
Bike locks
Adult bikes in good condition
Shampoo and conditioner
Large sizes of diapers and pull-ups (size 4 and up)
Paper towels
Alarm clocks
Body wash
Unscented lotion
New socks for adults
Large sizes of women’s bras
New underwear for men (Med-Large)
Maxi pads
African American haircare products
Boxes of cereal
Sugar
#10 cans of pudding, fruit and chilli beans
Walmart gift cards (for prescription co-pays)
Coffee
Deodorant
Powdered laundry detergent
Shaving razors

In prayer,
Tom

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A Voice in the Crowd

“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  
John 10:2-5 (NIV)

How often have you witnessed or experienced someone saying, “I would recognize that voice anywhere!”  Most of us have people in our lives that could be talking in the midst of a crowd and not even knowing they were there, we would immediately recognize their voice and know who is talking.  That type of recognition doesn’t happen overnight.  It requires much time spent conversing and listening so that we not only know the sound of the voice, we also know the character of the content of what will be spoken.

It is fairly easy to find people who want to hear from God.  Hold a class or teaching series on knowing God’s will and people are quick to sign up.  Change one word in the title and focus the class or teaching series on doing God’s will and all of a sudden participants are nowhere to be found.  Is it possible that many within our modern Christian culture have such a difficult time hearing God’s voice because we have consistently failed to listen to the things we know He has said?

Rarely a day goes by but what I hear or read the statement, “My God would never ____________” with the blank being filled in by something that even a casual reading of scripture would show God has in fact done or said.  I find it interesting that these statements are always “My God would never” and not simply “God would never”.  We have indeed created God in our own image and often define Him in ways that make us feel comfortable and safe.  In the midst of such a culture, it is no wonder we struggle with hearing and knowing the voice of our Shepherd.

It is in our quiet times with God and His Word that we become familiar with His voice and begin to recognize the things that He would say by understanding the things that He has already said.  The quiet times are necessary so that we are prepared to hear our Shepherd’s voice even in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Scripture teaches us that Jesus would often withdraw to “lonely places” to spend time with His Father, but as you read about the life of Jesus it should be clear that He recognized and obeyed the voice of His Father even in the midst of the crowds.  God expects and wants us to listen, to recognize His voice and to follow it, each moment that we live — whether in quiet times or in times surrounded by the crowds of this world.

Jesus says that His sheep will know His voice and they will follow Him.  When you and I struggle with questions about hearing God, perhaps we need to seriously examine if the problem is really in the hearing or in the following.  I pray that you and I are not only hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word as well.

In prayer,
Tom

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“I Choose You!”

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.“
Ephesians 1:3-4 (NIV)

I just finished up a week where I had the opportunity to share my book, In Christ Alone: Discovering Your Identity In Christ, with people at the North American Christian Convention.  The reaction of people to the content of the book was a great encouragement and confirmation to me.  Time and again, person after person would flip through the book and with tears in their eyes say, “This is exactly what I need and have been looking for!”  To be able to give them a copy helped me to experience the truth of “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”  

I believe the book connects with people of all ages and from all walks of life because it was written through my prayer times out of my own struggle with my identity.  Day thirteen in my book is a reminder that “In Christ I Am Chosen.”  This is a truth that many of us have a hard time accepting because it often feels like we are someone who no one would ever willingly choose.  I still remember lining up at recess or in gym class and just longing to hear that day’s “captain” say to me, “I choose you.”  I was rarely chosen last, but definitely not chosen first.  I still remember wishing that some day, even just one day, I would be chosen first.

But it is not just in grade school where the picking and choosing takes place and we long to hear someone say, “I choose you.”  We fill out applications and polish up our resumé hoping an employer will choose us.  We look for that special person to be in our life who would choose us above all others.  We speak up wanting our voice — our opinion — to be chosen as the way in which a group would go.  When we’re chosen, we celebrate.  But when we’re not chosen, look out!  The thoughts of doubt and feelings of being unwanted creep in and before you know it they have taken over the mind.  It is at those times I need reminded that I was chosen and I was chosen first!  Before creation God chose me to be His and for me to live a holy and blameless life.

People will disappoint you.  There will be times you will expect to be chosen and find yourself overlooked.  There will be times that you seem to be chosen by others only to find that it was a temporary choosing simply to use you for their benefit and then you’re gone.  There will be times when people choose poorly.  There will be times when you choose poorly.  In all of it, I need to be continually reminded that God never disappoints those who seek Him with a whole heart.  He says that when we seek Him with a whole heart, He will be found.  And when we seek and find, we discover a welcoming Saviour who is calling out, “I choose you!”

In prayer,
Tom

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Eyes That See

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“Ears that hear and eyes that see — the LORD has made them both.”
Proverbs 20:12 (NIV)

I’ve reached the point where I rarely  go anywhere without a camera.  I share pictures on social media so often that some may wonder if I actually do anything other than take photographs.  Surprising as it may seem to some, I don’t spend a lot of time taking photos.  I have simply learned to use my camera as a personal worship tool as often as possible.  

I receive a lot of compliments on my photos and the beauty they capture, as well as a few questions about where I find the subjects for my photos.  My “secret” isn’t that complicated!  While I do visit parks and scenic places when possible, nearly all of my pictures are taken in places where people pass by on a regular basis, often never seeing the things that I notice.  I consider the noticing of these things, and the capture of them in photos, to be a part of my personal worship of God as I continually marvel at His handiwork and creativity.  

The photos at the top of this article are an example.  The picture on the left is the seed head of a water-lily blossom that I noticed at a public garden.  The resemblance to a shower head caught my attention.  While the water-lily in full bloom next to it probably was the subject of many photos that day, I wonder how many even noticed the beauty of the seed head.  The picture on the right was taken as I walked down the city sidewalk on a family vacation.  These sand lizards are everywhere in Florida, yet when I saw this one on top of a small accent light he seemed to be begging to have his picture taken.  My wife joked about the Floridians probably thinking I was crazy to be taking a picture of something so common.  Yet it caught my eye and reminded me of the amazing God I serve and worship.

So, what do you pass by on a daily basis that ought to be prayer prompts and worship reminders yet are never even noticed?  What can you start doing that will help you better use the eyes and ears that the Lord has created?  For me, I am continually tuning my eyes and ears to see and hear the wonders of God all around me!

In prayer,
Tom

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Prayer and Intercession

I am currently in the middle of a mid-week teaching series at my home church on Prayer and the Spiritual Disciplines.  This week we will be looking at the topic of Prayer and Intercession.

Intercession is defined as “the act of pleading on someone’s behalf” or “the action of attempting to settle a dispute”.  When I think of intercession, I think of Moses pleading with God for the rebellious people who had just come out of Egypt.  Am I that serious in my prayer life when it comes to the relationship of someone else to God?  Am I willing to actually plead on their behalf — to make a serious attempt to settle the dispute that exists between those who live as His enemies and God?  When I pray for the needs of others, am I casual in my words and thoughts or am I serious about wanting God to meet the needs of others regardless of what it costs me?  

As I grow in interceding for others, I am so thankful that God has given His Spirit to intercede on my behalf when my prayers are at a loss for words.

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Stop!! . . . Or Not.

What do you do when you see a stop sign?  Do you come to a complete stop, roll through, or simply disregard it?  Why?  How about other rules or laws?  How do you decide what to obey and what not to?  What is your “acceptable level of disobedience”?

I’ve been doing a lot of walking on the area sidewalks along the river and one section of the walk is through a fairly residential section of town.  There is a stop sign at each intersection along the river road to try to keep traffic slowed down rather than having people use it as an express thoroughfare.  On a recent walk I observed about thirty vehicles come down the street and encounter the series of four stop signs.  Out of this number only one vehicle actually stopped at each sign!  Most treated the signs as simply a suggestion — or perhaps as a yield sign.  They slowed down and appeared to look for approaching traffic (or police cars) and then simply drove through without stopping.  A couple of them didn’t even slow down and I have no idea if they even looked for the potential of crossing traffic.

As I watched, my mind kept going to the one guy that did stop and I wondered what was different about him.  Why did he stop?  What was his motivation to obey the law?  Why do people decide to do what is right even when no one is looking and it would seem to make no difference?  Is it because of the law, or something more?

How about God’s laws?  Do we follow them?  Do we ignore them? Or do we do some version of pick and choose — keeping the ones we like and ignoring the ones we don’t?

I think the answer to the “why” of the driver at the stop sign and our own obedience to God’s commands may be unnervingly similar!  Many times we live life in the “slow down and look” mode.  If we think no one is watching then we simply go ahead and do what we want.  If someone is watching then we do the right thing for the sake of appearance or to stay out of trouble.  Our obedience to the law is based out of fear.  Occasionally we become so calloused that we don’t even care who is watching or what they think — we simply go on with what we want no matter what.

I believe the correct response in both scenarios is an obedience based on love and respect for the law-giver!  When our obedience is built on this foundation then it is never up for question.  We do what is right when people are watching and when they are not.  I believe this is how Jesus could keep the law to perfection as he lived on earth as a man — he had perfect love and respect for His Father who established all law through Him.  When I realize that God’s commands are for my good and to my benefit then I am eager to keep them even when I don’t understand why.

So what do you do when God’s Word says, “Stop!”?  When His Word says, “Go!”?  Do you slow down to see who is watching?  Do you just fly on through life and ignore it?  Or do you obey willingly out of love and respect for the One who issued the command?

I pray that you and I would be doers of God’s Word because of our love and respect for Him through our relationship with Jesus.

In prayer,
Tom