Fervent Prayer

 fervent - displaying passionate intensity

 I know what comes to my mind when I think of fervent prayer. A long, heartbreaking plea to God over a certain situation. Praying and praying some more, trying so hard to convince God of the seriousness of this current calamity and how it must be resolved right now. My overwrought heart agonizing as I dwell on the horrible details. Pouring out my heart until I am spent and feel I’ve done all I can in prayer.

But, what if, your fervent prayer was a means to convincing yourself of God’s steadfast faithfulness? What if you prayed and prayed some more, not about the situation, but about the fact that God is alive and active and will surely respond? What if, you stayed in prayer until you found peace and confidence in our Lord? 

Fervently, with passionate intensity, seek to remember the goodness of the Lord. Don’t leave your prayer posturing of head bowed, hands folded - until you are filled with God’s assurance of His Almighty control over all things. Including THIS thing. 

God is good. So good. And He can handle anything. He does handle anything. So move forward with confidence in the God you know in your heart as loving, caring, all-wise and all-powerful. Then, when you know in your head what you know in your heart, rise from your prayer knees and walk in faith.

Yes, put your trust in the Lord.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Your rule is eternal, and You are king forever. The Lord is faithful to His promises; He is merciful in all His acts. ( Psalm 145:13)

One word prayer

 I had an idea for a blog post the other day. It came to mind as I was praying for people and using only their first name. We often do that. I’ve seen it in some churches as well. We just say the name and maybe a pause before moving on to the next name. And I wondered if that had the same power and effectiveness as a more lengthy and informative prayer. You know the ones - agonizing, heartbreaking pleas for God to act. Is a mere mention of their name - enough? Can my one word whispered into the ear of God move mountains too?

And then something happened that made me question it even more. While at the gym, an ambulance pulled up. Now I was praying and I didn’t even have a name! All I could think of was: Jesus!

Believe me: I am in My Father and My Father is in Me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see - these works. The person who trusts Me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on My way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of Who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for Who He is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do. (John 14:11-13 MSG)

Whatever you request. I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Looking at this passage, the real power, the real certain hope - is in God the Hearer and Responder. And not the number of words. Or their eloquence.

He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. (Matthew 6:7 CEV)

So, even one word from you or me in prayer, makes anything possible because Christ and His power lives in and through us. 

So let us pray in the name, that one word name, above all names -

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Father’s Love

 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

I was recently told by a man how he used to sit with his daughter from time to time, out on this ol' rock on the backside of their property. He said they would just sit together and "you know, talk about things". My first thought was jealousy, for what dad (surely not mine) takes time to do such a thing? How wonderful it must have been for that daughter to have some one-on-one, unhurried, no agenda time with him. What a Norman Rockwell moment in the purest sense. Did she realize the gift he gave her that many do not ever get?

Because there are many who have grown up without a father present - physically or emotionally. But as Christians, as believers in Christ bridging the gap between us and God, we too, can have a Father Who takes time to "you know, talk about things". It doesn't have to be a hurried reading of scripture to meet Him, or a quickly rushed prayer. This Father has all the time you want.

So find your "rock" and sit with your Father today ... because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)

Consider this: The Father has given us His love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are. (1 John 3:1 GW)

(orginally posted on August 27, 2015 and called On this Rock)

Remember when…

I have one of those digital photo frames where pictures appear, one after another. And I love it so much! Pictures of dear family and friends. Pictures of wonderful vacations and good times. Some make me laugh out loud. Others bring a warm hug to my heart. Yes, I love the memories these stir up. My heart and mind revisiting all those “remember when’s”. 

 But there are other “remember when’s” that I don’t have pictures of - the many times God has helped me, saved me and blessed me. Most recently during a bad case of car trouble. God blessed me with good company, a safe place to wait for help to arrive, and provision all the way home. God has given me all these and so much more! Without pictures constantly flashing across a frame, how will I ever recall and remember these precious gifts?

One thing I do is keep a journal of everything good that happens in every day. Not only huge highlights like the one described above. There’s ice cream, watching the birds, and back rubs. Funny jokes shared. New yarn. Dinner out. Kitty cuddles. Coffee with a friend. And I number each one too. I’m into the thousands! Whenever I look back and review, not only do I realize how very awesome and generous God is; looking back also lifts my spirit when a day feels gray.

When you think of God’s goodness, you can probably name several things that come to mind. But the profound number found in my journals, and the fact that they are personal, for me, gifts from God - has an overwhelming, wonderful, heart-warming affect on me - and my outlook on life.

Might I suggest you try it for yourself. Start with one. And then one more. And build on it as often as you get the chance. And just see if it doesn’t heighten your awareness of God’s great, big, personal love for you. See if it doesn’t brighten a gloomy day!

And may God bless!

Time for a little Restoration?

 

Every morning I get up and settle into the same chair. Every morning I pour coffee into the same cup. Is my first thought wondering if the chair will hold me or if that cup will hold the coffee? Well, of course not. These things have faithfully performed their duties day after day. I don’t have to sit down gingerly, fearful, or doubtful - wondering, “Will the worst thing happen? - do I need to be prepared for the worst?” Now, while something like breakage could happen, time and experience has proven otherwise. Time spent like this every day would have me noticing if anything was amiss and I would give it the proper attention necessary to keep it for long term use and enjoyment.

Now, a dusty, old antique wooden chair stored up in the attic for years is a different story. It’s probably dry and unstable from lack of attention and care. While your favorite chair gets mended at the first sign of wear because you want it to be a part of your daily life as long as it can, that rickety chair in the attic has been neglected. Out of sight, out of mind - forgotten.

Is it too far gone?

Past the point of return?

Everyone knows it can be restored with the proper amount of effort. With some love and attention, it can become trustworthy again.

Isn’t that what faith is all about? Knowing and trusting that something (or Someone) that’s been good before - can be good again.

The same is true for your relationship with God. If your connection with God has been put away for awhile, if your trust in Him is a little dry and unstable from lack of attention, your faith in Him can be rebuilt, strengthened, and restored to good health once again. It’s never too late or too far gone.

God will not fail you.

God is strong and firm.

 Like your favorite chair, He is reliable and trustworthy and good everyday. Standing at the ready to meet your needs.

So pull up a chair… grab a cup of coffee… and think about having that same kind of confidence in God. He has proven Himself to be faithful. May you see it for yourself again today.

Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 117:2)

We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God… (Hebrews 6:18 MSG)

This needs to be written down

 First off, no one is going to believe this. Second, it’s truly a testimony of God handling every single thing in life. Thirdly, it will make you think of all the unbelievable things you’ve read in the Bible. Folks, I’m telling you right now that what I’m about to share really happened. It happened exactly as I describe it. I have eye witnesses. Will people who were not there believe it? What about a hundred years from now or 2,000 years from now - are there REAL accounts found in the Bible that you think can’t possibly be true? Exaggerated? Even with witnesses? Could it really have happened the way it’s written down? Let me take you on a recent journey:

Got up early after a great awards banquet in North Carolina to take Kathy to the airport.

Engine turned over and then died. Nothing. Dead battery?!!

Called road service. It will be two hours.

No shuttle service available. No Uber will come out that far to the conference center. We were leaving the conference before it finished so others weren’t heading out. Our only option was to change her flight. Next available: 7:47 PM. Getting her to Grand Rapids at 12:33 AM. And she was scheduled to work at 7:00am. So then she had to find someone to switch shifts with at work.

Notify loved ones of the situation. Grab a coffee and begin our wait.

Tow truck arrives two hours later. It’s not a dead battery. It’s something else. He can’t tow the car anyway because the service order was for a dead battery and he had another call to go to. I had to request another road service for a tow. You guessed it. It will be another two hours to get someone out there.

Plus, the insurance company needs to approve of the repair shop it gets delivered to. They listed several and I just picked the closest one.

So we find a place to sit and wait. We decide to unload our baggage from the car so we’re ready when he comes. Haul everything up the stairs to a comfortable place to wait. Realize I don’t have my purse with me. Did I drop it somewhere?

Lost purse. Found purse.

Meanwhile, my husband is making the two-hour trip up to rescue us and get Kathy to the airport.

Notified by road service there’s been a delay. It will be an additional 90 minutes. Since we’ve only had a cinnamon roll from the coffee shop, we decide to go in and purchase lunch passes. Got in line for the front desk. You guessed it. Lunch room closed three minutes earlier.

Back to sitting and waiting. Tow truck came. Now just wait for my husband and get this nightmare over.

Road service calls. Repair shop I selected will not accept my car. They are two weeks out and have no place to store it. Need to find a different repair shop and one that will accept my car. Meanwhile, the tow truck guy has another call to go to, so my car was taken to their storage (a 1/2 hour away). Found another repair shop. Car will be towed there. 

Husband showed up. First thing on the list was to get some real food. Then off to the repair shop to give them any information they need. Car was not there yet - en route. Actually past it as we were heading out of town to the airport.

Part way to the airport I get a call. The tow truck driver is saying he gave the car key back to me. (No, he didn’t.) So now the repairman has no keys. Husband has spare key so we turn around and go back to deliver that.

Husband’s car is now overheating and in the red. So while we’re at the repair shop, they throw some more Prestone in for us. On a wing and a prayer we get Kathy to the airport. But something is obviously wrong with THIS car. Search for a nearby car care place. Half hour away and they close in a half hour. We made it at 5:27. Long enough for them to say come back tomorrow morning. So we find a hotel for the night. Call our cat sitter to go feed the cats.

Next morning. Husband’s car has a small crack in the water pump. Car has cooled off overnight and we can drive it the 2-1/2 hours back home. My car didn’t fair as well. The engine blew. Expensive but not as much as buying a replacement.

Unbelievable, right? But God had us in a safe place, and got us to the next safe place the entire time. A lot of calamity in 24 hours. How many biblical characters can you think of that have had trauma after trauma - and even written down… it’s all so hard to believe? Or take the miracles of Jesus. God Himself felt the need to get His stuff written down. So you would come to know Him as Almighty. This account of mine can be viewed as God’s miraculous hand at work again and again, providing at every turn.

Food for thought: God does amazing things. Rescue things. Good out of bad things. Remember that the next time you find yourself in a challenging situation. Know this kind of God and that He will do the same for you.