Prayer

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How Are Your Eyes?

Eye

 

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Matthew 9:36

What do you see when you see a crowd?  Do you see opportunity or problems?  Jesus realized the problems the crowd faced and had compassion on them.  He also realized that the need was great as He follows up this verse in Matthew with an appeal to the people that they would pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth workers into the harvest fields.

Jesus had a great concern that the harvest not be overlooked.  We often look through physical eyes when we need to use spiritual eyes to see the work God has for us to do.  We see an example of this in John 4.  The disciples decide it is a good time for a lunch break, but Jesus has other plans.  The common belief was that it was 4 months until harvest.  Jesus asks them to open their eyes and look again.  The fields are ripe for harvest.  The harvest had begun and the crop of eternal life is being gathered in.

How are your eyes?  As the seed is being sown around you, are you able to see ripening harvest?  The seed has been, and continues to be, sown.  Many have labored diligently in keeping it cultivated and watered.  Will you be one who continues this and joins in the harvest?  As you pray to the Lord to send out workers into the harvest fields, will you listen as He also calls you to join in?

May God continue to raise up workers as the harvest is brought in.

 

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Can You Spare Some Change?

Spare ChangeOK . . . not that kind of change.

The first thing that probably comes to mind when you read this title is someone wanting money.

Actually, I want to write about something completely different.  Can you remember the last time your life changed in a dramatic way?  Perhaps a new baby in your family, a new job, the death of a family member, a new home, or perhaps you remember the greatest change of all – when the living God came to live in your very being.

As one who has faced transitions in life of various kinds over the past few years, I know that change can bring about a lot of feelings within us.  Some of these feelings are good and keep us moving forward with excitement during change.  Some emotions, however, frighten us and tend to make us resist changes.

I pray that as you seek to follow Christ, you would always be willing to make the changes that He calls for in your life – to enjoy the changes that bring joy and learn from the changes that bring hesitation.  God wants growth in our life and it is impossible to grow without experiencing changes.

May the changes in your life bring you closer to God so that you may serve Him wholeheartedly.

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Can You Hear Me Now?

I bought a new cordless phone/answering machine last month and I really like it.  I actually hooked it up to the phone line a couple of weeks ago to replace a phone that wasn’t working consistently.  I immediately noticed a difference.  I was no longer getting those hang-up calls on the machine – you know, the ones where someone calls, hears the message, but doesn’t want to leave a message.  They were gone.  Two weeks without any.  This was amazing!

As I contemplated the advanced technology that must be at work to do away with these “blank messages”, I congratulated myself on choosing such a fine piece of equipment.  My analytical mind couldn’t leave well enough alone.  I had to think this through as to how this was possible. 

I slowly began to realize that not only did I not have any hang-up calls recorded, I didn’t have any phone messages recorded either.  Hm-mm . . . two weeks with no one leaving a message . . . that is very unusual . . . must be something wrong with this machine. 

Time to check it out.  Yep . . . plugged in to both power and phone line . . . I can make calls with it . . . I can receive calls with it . . . lights are all on . . . outgoing message is recorded . . . maybe it just needs reset . . . I’ll turn it off and back on again and see if anything changes . . . pressing on/off button . . . what? . . . Did that say “machine on”? . . . That can’t be . . . press again . . . “machine off” . . . press again . . . “machine on”!

Uh Oh!  No messages because it wasn’t turned on.  Everything else was in place, but it was not activated.  People calling were not hearing the message inviting them to talk to the machine, so they weren’t able to leave communication with me.  I’ve wondered why there were no messages and discovered it wasn’t that people weren’t trying to reach me, but that I had the answering machine turned off and therefore was unreceptive to their attempts to communicate.

I wonder how often we wait to hear from God and begin to wonder and question if this “prayer thing” really works.  We get out our checklist of what we think prayer is and ought to include.  Yep. . . . got that . . . did that . . . said that . . . and on we go, wondering if we’ll ever get this right.  Yet how often do we check that internal communication switch – you know; God living in us, the Holy Spirit.  Are we living a life filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, surrendered to God through the power of the Holy Spirit? 

Maybe we’re not consistently hearing from God because we’ve turned off His presence in our life by ignoring the Holy Spirit and the work He can do in us.

It is time to hit that “power button” and allow God’s Spirit to do His work in and through you to the glory of Jesus Christ.  May His message come through loud and clear!

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What Is Hope Worth?

Dad, Daughter, and Gulf of MexicoHope is one of those words that our English usage has managed to neutralize and take the power out of.  Our culture often uses the word to describe a longing for something that we don’t really expect to come about.  We may think it is possible, but not probable.

As a Christian, my hope does not rest on that which I wish for, dream of, or desire.  Instead, my hope is built on a confident expectation that God is faithful and always keeps His promises.  My hope is based on the faith I have in God.  Faith that the Bible defines as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

So, what is that kind of hope worth?  Is it worth life or death?  . . . health or sickness?  . . . wealth or poverty?  . . . strength or weakness?  . . . perfection or imperfection?  . . . joy or sorrow?  The answer is YES!  It is not an either/or question.  Whatever it takes to have true hope is worth it.

As I reflected on my previous post, I thought about some of the “rain” and “storms” that I have encountered in my life.  Things that some people find hard to accept and they doubt that anything could make those situations “worth it“.  Yes, there have been good “rains” as well and those obviously appear worth going through whether they increase faith or not.  As I think about the hope that I have, the following are some of the gentle rains and fierce storms that have helped shape it.

  • Did I want to marry Mary Jane?  YES!  . . . Is it worth it?  YES!
  • Did I want to work for an alcoholic boss?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to spend years too sick to work?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to have children?  Yes.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to raise a daughter with disabilities?  No.  . . . Is it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to get fired from a youth ministry?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to get back into ministry?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to do ministry with Impact?  Yes.  . . . Is it worth it?  Yes.

The list could go on and would contain things that were desirable as well as things that were not.  Yet each one of these examples, as well as countless others, have served to build, strengthen, and grow the hope that I have within me.  This hope that is a confident expectation of eternity with Jesus.  A hope that is worth whatever it takes to have.

Does it make sense?  Absolutely not!  That is not the question to be most concerned with.  The bigger question is, “What is this hope worth to you?”  As for me, it is worth everything.

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Rain, Rain, Go Away . . .

It rained last night and early this morning.  It got me thinking about that old childhood rhyme.  You remember it, right?  “Rain, rain go away; come again another day.”  I know there is more to it, but that is the only part I would generally hear as a child.

As necessary as rain is, there is something about it that carries a negative connotation and reaction.  I watch the newscasts and they will talk about it being a perfect week or weekend . . . sunny, mid to upper 70’s, and no rain in sight.  Granted, that is the perfect forecast if you like brown.  Not only brown, tanned bodies . . . but brown scorched earth.  Before last night’s rain, the lawns were already starting to show the effects of a period of dryness.  The rain does so much to refresh our surroundings, yet we often fail to appreciate it because it inconveniences us.  I want to work.  I want to play.  I want to be outside.  I want to enjoy the day.  I want to stay dry.  I want . . . I want . . . I want!  Little or no thought is given to what is needed.  The future?  Some other day?  Sure, the rain can come then – just not today.

Aren’t we a lot like that when it comes to the “rains” of life?  (No, not the horse thing. 🙂 )  Oh, we don’t mind the refreshing rains once in a while.  The quiet, gentle, warm rain that is fun to play in and brings happiness.  “Rains” of good news, health, family, promotion, bonuses . . . rains that may disrupt our plans, but we’re happy to change because of the perceived benefit we receive.  It’s the other rains . . . the dark, cloudy, stormy rains that we would just as soon push off to “another day”.  Rains of sickness, grief, unemployment, disease, disability . . . rains that come with the storm clouds. 

If you know me, you might want to sit down as this next statement might be quite a shock.  I might be I am weird.  I love storms.  I remember as a child sitting on the porch in front of huge sliding glass doors watching thunderstorms pass by on a regular basis.  I loved the cloud formations and the lightning.  My parents would tell me that the lightning was actually beneficial to the earth and the farm.  I remember flying through a thunderstorm on an Aeroflot flight in Russia and loving it.  The beauty of being in the midst of the clouds and flashing lightning was incredible.  I still like to watch storms.  Bad weather hits, I want to see it.  The best part is when the storm is over and everything somehow looks different.

You know, it never is “another day”.  We never wake up and say, “Wow!  Tomorrow is here!”  It is today.  We need the rain.  Without it growth doesn’t happen.  Is the rain in your life today a gentle, healing rain, or is it a violent, thunderstorm rain that is opening up parts of your life that you would rather have left alone.  You see, the storms we face can also bring healing once they have exposed our great need.  I think I have faced my share of storms in life, but what do I know?  I’ve had more than some, less than others but I don’t think it is possible to define a “fair share” of storms.  For me, they have always exposed within me my greatest need for Jesus.  Storms that have stripped me of security, health, and freedoms have all taught me that I really didn’t have those things to begin with – only illusions of them.  The beauty of rain coming when it does is that God knows when I need the gentle, healing rain and when I need the inner-person exposing storm. 

I pray that the rain in your life today will accomplish its purpose in bringing healing, growth, and transformation.

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Where Is Your God?

I just returned from an Impact Staff Conference (thus the reason for no new posts in the last week).  The theme of our conference was “Where Is Your God In . . . “.  It was a great conference.  A time to relax, refresh, and refuel.  Several staff members shared about where God was in their life and ministry through the last year.  Reminders that God was a “very present help in time of need“.  Reminders that God was the one working in and through us to equip, prepare, and accomplish that which He created and gifted us to do.  Reminders of lessons learned through seeking God during tough times as well as during good times.

It made me think.  I know, sounds painful doesn’t it?  The very question, “where is your God?” seems to have other questions built into it.  Questions like, “Who is your God?” or “What is your God?”.  These questions say a lot about how we handle adverse situations as Christians.  If we know and have confidence in who and what our God is, then the where is not so much a question but a confident seeking.  God says, “You will seek Me and you will find Me when you seek Me with a whole heart.” 

Is there a part of your life that has you consistently asking, “Where is God in this?”  It is a question that almost exclusively goes with hardship, frustration, discouragement, and changes.  I don’t know that I have ever heard a Christian ask, “Where is God in . . . my prosperity . . . my promotion . . . the good things that happen to me?”  Are you seeking God in that very circumstance or challenge of life.  God has a way of using everything to bring about maturity and growth in Jesus if we seek it and allow it.  You see, the question, “where is God?”, is not a bad question when we ask it in the context of confidence in who and what God is.  In that context, it is not a doubt-filled question but rather a heartfelt seeking of a God that cannot be completely understood.  It is a search – not for the goodness in everything, but for the God-ness in the midst of our lives.  God’s desire is for us to be equipped that we would do the good works that He has prepared in advance for us to do.

If you have problems with the “where is your God” question, then spend time seeking the genuine answers to the who and what is your God questions.

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You Call That Work?

Michiana Christian Service CampI am heading to Michiana Christian Service Camp today for an area ministers meeting.  Our purpose today is to pray for the camp, its staff, and the upcoming summer youth camp season.  We’ve been doing this for several years now.  When I moved to this area, it was originally a ministers work day where we did a variety of physical labor tasks to help get the camp ready for summer.

A few years ago, several area ministers made a decision to apply some of the Acts 6 text to our camp situation.  To take our work day and spend it devoted to prayer and the Word.  To help prepare the camp spiritually while enlisting and encouraging others to participate in the camp’s annual work days to accomplish the physical tasks.

I’m convinced that the camp understands and appreciates the value of both consistent and “on-site” prayer for their needs, staff, and camp participants.  In my role as “Prayer Minister”, I don’t believe that every Christian yet understands the value and the work aspect of prayer.  Understanding is growing, but a more likely response to hearing of a “work day” where the activity is praying is, “You call that work?” 

My answer is just as pointed, “YES!”  Perhaps one of the reasons that so many Christians feel ineffective when it comes to prayer is that they have undervalued it and don’t “work” at it.  Consistent, fervent, open communication with God is hard work.  It takes discipline to keep focused and not be overcome by life’s distractions.  Yet the reward is great.  James tells us that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  (James 4:16 TNIV)

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that prayer often leads us to act and do something in obedience to God.  Physical labor is needed and a good thing.  I plan on doing both at camp today.  But for me, the main priority for my day is prayer and seeking God’s face on behalf of the camp.  I love the camp and am excited about having the privilege to pray on-site for it.

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Listen Up!

Why is listening so hard? 

I know that this “jar of clay” that I walk around in isn’t that good at listening.  I think that most people have a terrible fear of silence.  Too many distractions in life to really listen.  I have my own things to think about.  I’m too busy to think about your things, so why should I listen?  I don’t want to hear thoughts, ideas, words that might cause me to have to change my plans.

This is true not just of our interaction with other people, it is true of our relationship with God.  Why truly listen if I don’t want to change?  Why force aside the busyness and distractions if I like the way my life is going with me in charge? 

As a Christian, Jesus calls me to carry His Spirit, His essence, His character around in this jar of clay that is my body.  To do that well, I had better learn to listen.  May God grant me the ability to really listen and to live genuinely.