Tag: prayer

Categories
Christian Living

Our Nation Still Needs Prayer

The American Flag - symbolizing our need to spend more time in prayer for our nation
Today, I share with you a call to prayer for our nation, the United States of America. Can you guess how long ago it was written? The language will give away the age a bit, but you will have to admit that the message sounds like it could have been written yesterday:

“The truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history is that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

What was your guess?
The answer: One hundred and fifty years ago.
By President Abraham Lincoln.

He signed this proclamation to appoint April 30th, 1863 (a Thursday) as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. The proclamation also stated:
“I do hereby request all the people to abstain on that day from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their several places of public worship and their respective homes in keeping the day holy to the Lord…. All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope…that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.”photo of president Abraham Lincoln who reminded us that we needed to have prayer for our nation

It is amazing to read this proclamation 150 years after it was written and realize that we find ourselves in a similar place now. We have not been faithful to repent as a nation. We, the Christians in the nation, have failed to be prayerful for our nation. Our greatest act of service for our country is to fast and pray for it with humble hearts seeking that God would turn our nation’s hearts back to Him. One of our early presidents realized the important need for us to do so. I pray that we will realize our need to join together 151 years later and answer this clear call to serve our nation through prayer.

(These words are from Proclamation 97 – Appointing a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer – March 30, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln)

Categories
Worship

I’m Just Too Busy. So Are You.

a close-up of a watch signifying that we are too busyWe sure do stay busy around here. Work takes up a lot of our time. And then, of course, the commitments to our family require us to block out additional time each week. And then if I own anything, then that house, yard, car, etc. will “own” me as well, as I’ll have some things that I have to do to maintain the upkeep of these items – more time needed. That doesn’t leave much time for me to do the things I was wanting to do this week, but I’ll find a way to carve out a few hours for exercise, recreation, entertainment, and relaxation here and there. And all of that will fill up the hours of my entire week. And so what I find is that I am busy. And what I have found out, is that since I am so busy…

I’m Too Stinking Busy to Pray
You probably are too.

I mean, where can I find extra time to do that “devotional” that my pastor keeps telling me to prioritize? Where can I find a few extra minutes to stop and have some real prayer time with God? I don’t have an extra minute, and I am already tired from all that I am doing. It seems that here in America we have become so busy that we’ve “elbowed” out the possibility of having any time left for a serious relationship with God. So I give him a minute here to read a quick Bible verse attached to a devotional. And I’ll spend a little time telling Him what I need for the day as I drive into work, in between thinking about how to get the kids to their after-school activities and what I need to pick up from the grocery for dinner.

It seems we have forgotten that God desires a relationship with us. Instead I seem to just give him my leftovers. Leftover minutes here and there. Not enough for a real relationship with a human… much less the God of this universe.

The great reformer Martin Luther has been attributed with stating: “I generally pray two hours every day… except on very busy days… On those days, I pray three.”

When I read the first part of my sentence, I think, “Sure, but Martin Luther wasn’t busy. That’s why he had the time to pray. Back in those ancient days, he didn’t have much to do but to contemplate on God.” But that is not the truth. Martin Luther was a very busy man – defending his theology, translating the Bible into German, writing books, preparing sermons, teaching students, leading a Reformation – certainly no less busy than I am today… and probably even busier. However, instead of following Luther’s example and spending MORE time in prayer during the busy days, I tend to pray less. He believed he was too busy NOT to pray.

Instead of coming to the recognition that “I am too busy not to pray,” I sacrifice my time with God for getting all these other things in my life accomplished.

And anyway, does prayer really even make a difference?

Well, we say that it does. But our lack of doing so may be “telling” as to what we really believe about the answer to that question. Why do we take these two things that we say make a difference (reading the very Word of God and talking to Him about it), and yet spend so little time doing them?

Perhaps…
“Our failure to think of prayer as a privilege may be partly due to the fact that we can pray at any time. The door to prayer is open so continuously that we fail to avail ourselves of an opportunity which is always there.” We know that if we don’t pray today, then there is always tomorrow. We know that if we decide we are too busy to read the Bible today, then there is always tomorrow. But if we are too busy for prayer and Bible study today, then guess what? It is likely that we’re also gonna be too busy for it tomorrow.

Do I really believe that my prayers could actually make a difference in this world and in my life? do you? We agree that we should pray, but we don’t talk about the fact that our prayers can actually change things. Jesus did.

In regard to the work to be done in “the harvest,” Jesus indicated that there are so many people that need the Father’s love. And that there is a shortage of compassionate disciples. But instead of telling people to Go out and Work Harder. Jesus said… So Pray About It! Pray that the Father would send out more workers.

Our model is “Do More.” Jesus’ model is “Pray More.”

Jesus believed that prayer mattered. He knew that by praying to the Father, the Father would work on peoples’ hearts and would move them to desire to serve.

God’s Word says that prayer makes a difference. Jesus said the prayer makes a difference. Do you really believe that “your prayers will determine anything?” If you do, then make a commitment –
Parents, that you will begin to have a regular time of prayer and Bible reading with (and for) your children. If it is really a priceless book and prayer can change their lives, then your children need you to share that with them.

Spouses, that you will begin to have a regular time of prayer and Bible reading with (and for) each other. This is one way to help “divorce-proof” your marriage.

Carve out the time in your busy day to take time with the King of the Universe. You need it.

You are too busy NOT to pray.

And it will change the world.
It will change your family.
It will change you.

Categories
Relationships

With Whom Are You Praying?

“God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed. Thank You Lord for daily bread. Amen.”

A lot of Christian parents seem to do a pretty good job of helping their children learn to pray at meals and even to say their bedtime prayers. Hurray! This is excellent.

But based on my conversations with these same parents, I have a sneaking suspicion that these moms and dads aren’t praying together. So my question to you today is – Are You Praying With Your Spouse?

What I sense is that wives desire for their husbands to step into that spiritual leader role in the family and to lead in prayer with and for them, but that we men often shy away from doing so. Husband, are you leading you wife in prayer?

Prayer together with your spouse is a MUST. “Your prayer life together is important. Sure, you might be able to have a good marriage without it, but that misses the point entirely. The real question here is this: Can my marriage meet God’s call without shared prayer?” The answer is, or course, a resounding No! “If there are never times when you desire prayer with your wife… then your prayer life is on life support and your life is out of balance” (from Every Man’s Challenge)

I have been surprised that when I have had people pray together with their spouses at church, I have had multiple couples come to me and say – “Thank You for making us do that. I had never before heard my spouse pray for me.” Would your spouse say something similar?

Men, step up and be that spiritual leader. Do it before tomorrow. Before you turn off the light and drift off to sleep tonight, simply say, “Honey, I think we should pray before we go to bed.” Start tonight. And then don’t stop – repeat it each night. Pray for your children together, pray for your parents, pray for you two AS parents, pray for each other. And then watch the difference it makes in your life and in your marriage!

Categories
Christian Living

Good Things vs. God Things

How do you tell the difference between something good and something of God?
Are they always one and the same?

I get involved in plenty of good stuff. In fact, a lot of the things I do could be considered good things. You too.
But if they aren’t the things that God wants me to do, is it the right use of my time?

I remember a discussion in seminary class about whether we should pray about every single thing. Some students argued that we should pray about every single decision. Others said not every decision is one that God cares about. The example given was in regard to the purchase of a vehicle and that God probably doesn’t care whether you purchase the yellow or the blue car. That God allows us to make some decisions on our own and doesn’t really care one way or another about some of the small things.

Maybe.

But I sure like this explanation on how to determine the difference between good things and God things:

“One of the ways I can tell if something is a good thing or a God thing is very simple. Did I pray about it? Did I even take the time to reflect on this purchase or that conversation, accepting this job, or deciding to watch that movie? If I haven’t prayed, then I may not have brought God into the decision-making process at all. No, the possession or activity may not be evil, wrong, or destructive, but if I’m not even aware of how I can use it to honor God, I’ll probably miss the opportunity.

“In the church today, many of us are preoccupied with “good things.” We want God to make us feel good, and we want to be entertained by the services. If one church doesn’t make us feel just right, we go somewhere else. God wants us to grow beyond the infant stage of thinking that all of life is about us. As we mature, we learn that God has a purpose for us that is far bigger, far grander, far more meaningful than anything we can imagine.

…“Many of us need to stop doing some of the good things we’re doing right now so we can focus more of our time, energy, and passion on Christ. I know men who have chosen to go fishing less often, women who resign from a club or organization that was absorbing their time, and students who dropped out of cheerleading or a sport because they realized these activities stole their hearts away from Jesus” (Thomas Young – “Do You Want to Go to the Mountain?”).

Are you possibly involved in some good things that aren’t God things?
It sure is easy to do.

How do you determine the difference between a good thing and a God thing?

…a true Christian must be willing to sacrifice everything in this life for the sake of the next. – Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language

Categories
Worship

Seeking Can Be Serious Business

So my cell phone is lost, and I must’ve left it on silent. Calling it from another phone isn’t working. I’ve looked in the usual spots on the kitchen counter, the nightstand, the desk. No luck. Now I’m looking in every room. I’ve searched high and low, near and far. I’ve even looked in the crazy places – under the car seats, in the refrigerator, between the couch cushions. The phrase “hide & seek” is taking on a new meaning.

I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience – one where you had to seek for something important that you just couldn’t find. How long did you search? How serious were you about finding it?

If we are serious about finding something important, we will seek for it intensely and for a long time…you’ll do all you can to seek it out.

So… am I seeking God with the same intensity that I have for my lost cell phone?

Can I say that I am truly seeking God with a 5 minute prayer time? With short little prayer times and no significant time alone with Him without distractions, can I truly say I sought God and His will today? Seeking Him means I should be setting a “big chunk” aside each day, as well as working to be more constant in prayer throughout the day.

I need both types of prayers, but I know that it takes more than 5 minutes, more than 10, to truly seek God and His heart and will.

Are you really “seeking” God in your prayer time?
Fortunately, He is not lost like a silent cell phone, so that when we are ready to seek Him, we will find Him. But it also takes the discipline to set aside significant time to hear from His heart!

And don’t worry, we called in the FBI search party. They sent out the tracking hounds and finally found my cell phone!