pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: pray


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Ever Closer

It is pretty easy to drift sometimes.  Even when we are at work and are being paid to produce something or to perform a task or to provide a service, we can drift off every now and then.  During the time each day away from work or school requirements, we can choose to do what we want with our time.  During this ‘free’ time, it is pretty easy to drift away from God.

Yet it is essential to spend time each day with God and Him alone.  Whether it is in the morning or evening or around the noon hour, it is important to set aside time each day.  We must be real and intentional about developing our relationship with God.  To read His word reveals Him to us.  To pray and to ask Him to search us allows Him to know us more fully, and in turn, to know ourselves more.

Daily submission allows God to become king of our lives 24/7.  As He searches, finds, and redeems us, we are drawn ever closer to Him.  We read in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  We become more like Him through our steadfast devotion to Him.

Scripture reference: Psalm 139: 23-24


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Being Good Soil

How good is our soil?  Are we receptive to the seeds God wants to sow into our faith?  When we are good soil, we hear the word of God and understand it.  As God’s roots take ahold of us, He becomes a part of all aspects of our lives.  We in turn come to bear fruit not only with our words but also with our actions and deeds.

As we seek to be sowers, we must be humble and submit to the yoke of Jesus Christ.  As we seek to build the kingdom we must acknowledge the fact that all we can do is sow.  We are utterly dependent upon God to make the seeds grow and for new life to spring forth.

When we accept God’s call upon our lives, we take up that yoke 24/7 by connecting to God through prayer, study, worship… to nurture our faith, to better understand the Word, and to better equip ourselves to be sowers of seeds of faith.  We have to first be good soil to sow into other’s lives.  Work your soil!

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 18-23


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In His Time

Wait.  Be still now.  Seek Jesus.  Open up.  Listen.  He is faithful.

It is sometimes hard to discern between something we have dreamed up and something God is placing upon our hearts.  We must ask, where is the motivation to do this work coming from?  It may seem to be holy and righteous and goog, but it may not be ordained by God.  So how do we tell?

Prayer is the place to start.  But not just a “Dear God, show me the way.  Amen” type of prayer.  It must be a prayer of stillness, a prayer with all of your ears and heart, a prayer of listening.  A prayer that can be hard because it requires patience and time.

If it is God’s plan He will be faithful.  God will bestow upon you His “power from on high.”  The pieces will fall into place.  As you move into what God is calling you to, the Holy Spirit will fill you with conviction, courage, peace, perseverance, and His love.  He is faithful.  He is just.  He has a plan for you.  Trust in Him.


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Practice, Practice, Practice

In order for a famous musician to offer a great concert, they practice.  They begin with scales and other exercises and they practice their score.  In order for a dance to shine on the stage, they must build their bodies and practice skills as well as the actual routine.  The musician and dance both put in much for that relatively short time on the stage.  They do so that they will seem like ‘naturals’ on the stage.

Do we live our life in such a way too?  Do we read the Bible daily to gain knowledge and to find that little nugget each day that we can take with us and live with that day?  Do we seek God’s presence during prayer throughout the day?  Do we offer Him praise in both  the good and the bad?  Do we practice our disciplines so that living our faith is the ‘natural’ way that we live our life?

Or are we a little lacking on our daily homework?  Is our practice insufficient for the important moments when God calls upon us to be His disciple each and every day?  Or are we ready?  Have we put in the time so that when another in need stands before us, that it just seems natural to offer what is needed?  It is not for our glory that we serve.  It is not so that the person walks away thinking how great a person we are.  It is so that the person walks away thinking how great a God we serve.  It is so that light that shines in us draws them to the Light of the world.  That is why we practice.


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To Pray or Not to Pray?

Is there ever a good or a bad time to go to God in prayer?  Are there times when we turn to Him more often and other times when we hardly pray?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are guided to “pray without ceasing.”  Here Paul is guiding us to be a person who always has prayer on our minds and on our lips.  According to Paul (and many others), we should pray about everything.

Yet if we believe in an all-powerful and an all-knowing God, what is the point of praying?  He already knows our thoughts, our situation, our needs, our… We don’t pray for God’s benefit.  It is for our benefit that we pray.  Prayer is one way to stay in tune with God and it is a means to hear God’s voice.  Prayer is also a way to remind us of and to make us more sensitive to the needs of others.

So, is there a good time or a bad time to pray?  The good time is always and the bad time is never.  He always wants to hear our voice.  God is faithful and His love is unfailing.  Through prayer we come to know God more, so pray often.  May our day be filled with words spoken to our Lord and Savior!


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Don’t Worry, He Can Take It

In Exodus 7 the Israelites depart from the Desert of Sin and head out on the path that God directs them to follow. As they wandered they started to grumble – they were in a desert with no water. You and I would grumble too. But they went a step beyond where you or I would normally go. The Israelites come to God and almost accuse Him of a lack of care and concern for them. After all, they are in a desert and they are thirst and God is providing them with water. It kinda makes sense.

At times, in my own mind, I may question God and may even wonder why He allowed this to happen or wonder why He did not choose to intervene in this situation or that one. Sometimes I struggle with reconciling what I know of God with what I see happening in His world. But I don’t ever come close to accusing God of something.

Maybe this disparity about how we each relate to God reveals some things about us and some things about the Israelites. The Israelites certainly had a different comfort level with God. They felt that God would listen to their complaints and that He would listen and that maybe He would even fix things. We don’t see our relationship as that personal. We don’t see God as our direct caretaker. And I wonder ‘why not?’

Many times we pray for something or for someone. Last week, a fellow church member asked me to pray for a friend’s daughter who was very ill. The friend’s family lives in another state and I do not know them. But one morning later in the week I felt the Spirit move me as I prayed for this girl and her family – to tell God that I trusted in Him to bring her healing. I believe He is a mighty God and that He can do anything. So I placed this girl into His hands. Sunday morning my friend told me that she passed away. For a few minutes I was almost at a loss for words and for thought. I wondered how God could allow this. But then came my understanding. God did bring her healing. And in the midst of this tragedy He will continue to be present for this family. He will love on and comfort and get them through this. He will send the right words they need to hear and will send them the people they need to have in their life right now. He is a mighty God.

And just like we wrestle with what God lays before us from time to time, the people of Moses wrestled with God. From the expression of their frustration, the Israelites came to learn something. We need to learn this lesson as well. They came to see God’s mercy in His repsonse to their complaint. They came to know Him more. When we come to God with all of our good, bad, and ugly, we too come to know Him better. And don’t worry – He’s a big god, He can take it!