pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: pray


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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!