Prayer

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Time With God

I listen to God
      as I spend time in prayer.
It’s hard to imagine,
      why this seems so rare.
I have a great privilege
      to talk to the King.
He calls to me softly,
      everything I should bring.
He understands me
      when others do not.
When I need to unload,
      He’ll take what I’ve got.

His kind, gentle whisper
      is spoken so true.
I love you so fully,
      my best is for you.
He’s not like those others
      whose promises fail.
When things are the hardest,
      He never will bail.
He’ll stand right beside me,
      we’ll walk hand in hand.
He says, “I am with you,
      just see what I’ve planned.”

That is the hard part,
      to see what’s not here.
To trust He’ll deliver,
      when I’m filled with fear.
He is so gracious,
      so loving and kind.
He calms all my fears,
      gives me peace of mind.
Every step forward,
      I learn to trust more.
So that I am ready,
      when He opens the door.

I don’t always look for,
      a door open wide.
For most of the time I
      am comfortable inside.
Those are the times that,
      He calls out to me.
“I’ll never leave you,
      step out here and see.”
As He calls me forward,
      I step out the door.
It’s all I imagined
      and oh, so much more.

As this keeps on happening,
      again and again.
My trust builds up layers,
      it’s no longer thin.
While it is not perfect,
      my listening has built.
A life with more freedom,
      and a whole lot less guilt.
I know that God loves me
      and works for my best.
Of this I am so sure,
      that in Him I can rest.

So what will you do,
      with the truth you have heard?
Will you take it to heart,
      seeking God in His word?
When you walk in faith,
      one step at a time.
He demands your all,
      but it’s worth every dime.
And as you surrender
      and learn to just wait.
You’ll find you are ready,
      when you reach His gate.
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I was spending time with God this afternoon and as I was waiting for an evening meeting, God reminded me of some of the wonderful destinations that He has taken me to as a result of my listening and following Him.  In the midst of my worship of Him for His great love and faithfulness, He gave me this poem.  I pray that it encourages you to spend more time with God.

In Prayer,
Tom

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Trouble

You will have trouble,
     of this I am sure.
The question remaining,
     how will you endure?
The good news of Jesus
     says you’re not alone.
He will be with you,
     you don’t need to phone.

Just call out to Jesus
     in the midst of your fear.
He’s always listening
     and He’ll always hear.
He won’t forsake you,
     as others may do.
He gives you His Spirit
     to live inside you.

So when you have trouble,
     just go to your knee.
Cry out to Jesus,
     it sure works for me.
He may not remove you
     from the midst of the mess.
But He’ll carry you through,
     to that I confess.
©

I’ve been reflecting on life experiences and the words of Jesus in my listening times with God recently. I think that many times we must either completely miss, or simply ignore, the words of Jesus when He tells us we will have trouble. This poem came out of thinking about our need to expect, and be ready for, trouble.

In prayer,
Tom

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Snowed In

It’s past ten this morning
     and I’m feeling fine.
The temperature outside
     is a cool minus nine!
So what do I do
     when the weather’s so cold?
Play video games
     and pretend I’m not old. 🙂
But even much better
     than winning a game.
Is to spend time with God,
     that’s the best — I do claim!

To just read my Bible
     and take time to pray.
To hear God’s Holy Spirit
     when He has something to say.
To listen intently
     for what I should do.
Then make sure I do it,
     for it might be for you.
So if you’re snowed in,
     with no where to be.
Try seeking God’s face
     while on bended knee.

If you do seek Him,
     He says He’ll be found.
He’ll walk right there with you
     as your feet hit the ground.
And when you’re uncertain
     of which way to go.
Ask Him to guide you,
     His way you would know.
He’ll never leave you
     nor forsake you, it’s true.
It’s been true in my life,
     I believe it for you.
©

This just popped into my mind as I was sitting at my desk going back and forth between a couple of Word’s With Friends games and praying about some lessons I’m working on. I pray that you are encouraged to seek God more deliberately, and that you actually do it. 🙂

In prayer,
Tom

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Differences

I like to drink coffee
      from my favorite cup.
 I add creamer and flavoring,
      then I fill it right up.
A couple of soft mints
      and ice cream is good.
But I still call it coffee,
      do you think that I should?
While I like to add things,
      some others do not.
They won’t call mine coffee,
      even though it is hot.

There are some people
      who are living out there.
They’ll take such a difference
      and let me know they care.
That’s not how they like it,
      so I must be wrong.
If I don’t agree
      then I do not belong.
While all this sounds silly,
      it happens too much.
When we disagree
      about style and such.

I’m not really writing
      about coffee per se.
But things that divide us
      almost every day.
Most of the issues
      that we try to face.
Would disappear quickly
      if we’re in the right place.
That place is not distant,
      very close I would say.
It’s wherever we are
      when we start to pray.

So as I drink coffee
      that’s all full of stuff.
Be happy I like it,
      don’t get in a big huff.
This gentle reminder
      is not just for you.
For I need to value
      the things that you do.
When all that is different
      is made into one.
The unity created
      will look like the Son!
©

 I came in from running the snow blower and clearing walks and as I made a cup of coffee, this poem appeared in my head.  No, I didn’t have ice cream in the coffee tonight but I did have vanilla caramel creamer, caramel coffee syrup, and two soft mints in it and it was delicious.   I pray that this poem is an encouragement and help to you so that when differences appear large, you would remember to pray.

In prayer,
Tom

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I Can Do This! Really?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 14:12

Have you ever watched someone do something that looked so easy you were convinced you could do it?  No instruction, no training, no guidance . . . I mean, seriously, if “they” can do it then anyone can, right?  I tried that with a skateboard once. 🙂  I was working with youth full-time and while they were skateboarding, one of them asked me to give it a try.  I thought, “Why not?  If they can do it, it can’t be that difficult.”  Whoops!  That was a very literal case of pride going before a fall!

While that example may seem humorous, at least to you, it seems many tend to live with that attitude about matters that are much more serious.  Because it is often unseen, we tend to discount the work that goes into things that at first glance appear easy.  This is especially true when you seek to live a godly life and allow prayer to be the fuel that powers all of your accomplishments.  Because effective prayer isn’t done to be “seen by men”, it is easy for people to see what God accomplishes all the while discounting the unseen power of prayer — and therefore, the person praying.

This really shouldn’t come as a great surprise because we see it in the disciples as they observed Jesus.  For the most part, Jesus seemed to make miracles look easy — a word here, a glance there, a touch of the hand, a mix of spit and dust — all easy to see and do by anyone, right?  Well yes, except what they weren’t recognizing was the real power behind all of it was the connection Jesus had with His Father through prayer!  I see this as Jesus comes off the mount of transfiguration and his disciples have been trying to heal a boy by casting out a demon — something they had seen Jesus do with apparent ease prior to this yet it wasn’t working for them.  When the man brings his son to Jesus and the boy is  healed, the disciples seem to be confused.  They ask, “Why couldn’t we do this?”  The response of Jesus is straight to the point — and to the heart — “This kind only comes out with prayer and fasting.” 

Even when we know and have experienced the power of God working through prayer-based ministry and life, why do we have such a tendency to keep trying to do things in our own strength and power?  I think one of the biggest reasons is pride — it is very difficult to take credit for what God accomplishes when we know it has come about through prayer.  We want noticed and we want the credit so we make every effort to do things in our own power and strength until our failures bring us to our knees.  When satan tempts you to lead out of your own strength and wisdom, realize that the way that seems right to the mind of man is the way that leads to death.

I pray that you would think twice about the work that goes into an effective life and ministry.  When you see God accomplishing great things in and through a person, know that there is an incredible unseen prayer-base powering that.  I believe that the most effective thing that you can do in accomplishing the will of God in your life and ministry is to build a mighty foundation of prayer by being a person of prayer and by recruiting those who will consistently join you in prayer.  

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Let’s Pray!

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.”
 Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (NIV)

 What if our nation was serious about seeking God?  What if our community was serious about seeking God?  What if the church was serious about seeking God?  What if you were serious about seeking God?  What if I was serious about seeking God?

It seems to be okay at every level to seek God, or at least talk about seeking God, during times of great tragedy.  We see and hear calls for prayer from the highest positions in the land to the lowest when planes fly into buildings, when school shootings take place, when bombings cause great fear, when tragedy strikes and we have no answers.  Yes, these are times we need to pray, but I wonder what would happen in our nation, in our community, in our church, and in our life if prayer had the same priority everyday as it seems to have on days of great calamity.

Here in the U.S., today is the National Day of Prayer.  I appreciate all the work that goes into planning and promoting a National Day of Prayer.  It is great to hear and read of so many times of prayer being planned, promoted, and conducted.  We need the reminder to pray for our nation and for one another.  But what about tomorrow?  . . . and next week?  . . . and next month?  . . . and every day between now and the next National Day of Prayer?  Will you still be praying?  Will you still be seeking God with as much seriousness and fervor as you do today?  Will you still be praying for our nation and for one another?  A spiritual revival begins with a revival of prayer.  A revival of prayer begins with one person on one day, but it cannot remain with one person on one day or it will never become a real revival!

I pray that you and I would truly live a lifestyle of prayer and seek to be known by God, to know God, and to make God known — today and every day that God gives us breath!

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What Is It Worth?

What Is “It” Worth?

We have many ways of determining the worth, or value, or something.  We may look at how much something costs, how much someone would give us for it, or even how much it means to us.  Physical items often seem fairly easy to determine their worth, even when that value varies somewhat depending on who is looking at it.

Non-tangible items, particularly relationships, may be much harder to place a value on.  When trying to determine the true worth of a relationship, we must honestly ask a hard question: “How much effort am I putting into this relationship?”. 

While this is true in our relationships with people, it is a critical question in evaluating how much value we place on our relationship with Jesus.  Most Christians would say they desire a growing and vibrant relationship with Jesus.  Yet many times, we expect it to exist simply because we want it.  The idea of putting work and effort into it never crosses our mind or we decide we’re too busy to invest any significant time or energy into developing that relationship.

Prayer, Bible reading, Scripture memorization, Bible study, Listening to God, and other spiritual disciplines takes time and effort.  Our desire for a passionate relationship with Jesus ought to draw us to do whatever it takes to know God personally. 

What is it worth to you?  How much are you investing in it?  Jesus desires this relationship so much that He gave His life to make it possible.

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Prayer Journey

The National Day of Prayer was yesterday and we had a great Concert of Prayer service at the Deer Run Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana. 

While I love special prayer times and days, it is practicing a life of prayer that really gets me excited.  Next week, May 5-10, I will be in the Louisiana gulf coast region to pray.  God has given me the opportunity to join with a friend of mine to spend a week praying in the greater New Orleans area of Louisiana.

Our goal is to listen to God and follow His lead in the conversation He has with us.  Our desire is to encourage Christians in their efforts of physical and spiritual rebuilding taking place in the region.  We will spend time praying in the communities of the region, on the campus of the University of New Orleans, and with the ministry of Operation Feed My Sheep.

If you are currently in the gulf coast area south of New Orleans and would like to join together sometime the week of May 5 – 10 for prayer, let me know.

If you would be willing to partner in prayer with my friend and I as we take this Prayer Journey, I have developed a prayer guide to help people know how to pray for us.  You can download a .pdf file of it at this link:  New Orleans area Prayer Journey Prayer Guide.

If this type of prayer involvement interests you, I am also planning a similiar Prayer Journey in the Salt Lake City area of Utah for June 23-28.  Contact me for more information if you are interested.