pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: prayer


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Immeasurably More

As we gather together in worship we get a glimpse of the community of faith in unity.  We come together in Word, in prayer, in song, in spirit, and in praise.  We come together on a regular basis to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and to find forgiveness as a people of faith.  In worship we are rooted together.

We are all equal before God and nowhere is that more evident than in worship.  In those seats in the sacred space young and old, rich and poor come together.  We unite as one regardless of social, economic, or ethnic background.  All come together to offer our praise and thanksgiving to God.  In world we are blended together.

It is in worship that we experience God’s power, authority, grace, love, forgiveness, and presence.  Out time in worship is a time when we are made new and refreshed to return to our lives in the world.  It is also a tie when we are equipped and empowered to go forth into the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others.

During worship we come to see through Word, prayer, sacrament, and song that our God is indeed great.  We come to see that He can and will do immeasurably more than we can ask for or imagine.  We come to feel His power within us and we are filled with His desire to share His glory with people through all the generations.  His is a presence experienced in community – community with each other and with God.  May all find Him in community with others this day.

Scripture reference: Ephesians 3: 20-21


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Witness, Testify, Pray

The Apostle John is known for presenting God as “love” and for using love as the foundation of our faith.  For John, Jesus is God’s love lived out here on earth.  Christ is the example, the reference point, the proof of how great this divine love really is.

Belief in Jesus’ teachings, works, death, and resurrection lead us to desire a relationship and to be open to knowing Christ.  Specific experiences with His presence and continued work in the world draw us into relationship with Jesus.  Once we personally accept Him as Lord and Savior, His Spirit comes to dwell in us and we become increasingly filled with His love.  As we become more and more filled with His love, it begins to overflow into the live of those around us.  We become a living testimony to Jesus’ love and a are a witness for others.

Our witness and testimony alone are  not what allows others to have a relationship with Jesus.  We are not capable of this; only the work of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus will draw one into a relationship with Him.  We can point others toward Christ and we can plant seeds that build the desire for a personal relationship but it in only through divine action that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is formed.

As we live out our life of faith and love the world and those around us, God will place people upon our hearts.  We must be a witness and a testimony to them.  But do not stop there.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and for the living Christ to make His presence known in their lives.  Trust in God to do a mighty work in them.

Scripture reference: 1 John 5: 9-13


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Better and Better

In our daily walk of faith I think God is seeking effort not perfection.  There will be days when we struggle to focus in our daily prayer time.  Every now and then our lives are so harried we cannot even remember the scripture we just read, nevermind meditating and reflecting on it.  God does not expect perfect children.

God does expect effort though.  If it is our desire to know God, we must invest in the relationship.  In life we get to know someone by spending time with them, by observing them, by listening to their stories.  If it our desire to know God and to hear His voice, this will require time and effort on our part.

The Good Shepherd cares for each of us.  Jesus laid down His life for each and every one of us.  He wants to guide and protect us, to teach and give discernment, and to offer rest and peace.  Jesus knows each of us by name and He knows all of our needs.  His desire is that we would know Him intimately as well.  Jesus wants us to be so close to Him that hearing His voice becomes second nature to us.

It is through prayer, study of the Bible, meditation, worship, and reflection that we come to know Jesus.  In these, prayer is of particular importance.  It is within these moments of personal silence before our Savior that He can best speak to us.   We must provide time, space, and attention to hear His voice.  We can also hear His voice in the practice of these other disciplines as well.  For some this is especially true in worship.  As we consistently spend time with our Good Shepherd, we draw closer and closer.  This day and each day, may our hearing become better and better.

Scripture reference: John 10: 11-15ap


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Our Promises

In many churches the words, “God is good!” draws the response “All the time.”  Then the call, “And all the time,” draws “God is good!”  In our churches we are sure to spread the word that God loves us.  As just one means of responding to God’s vast love for us, we are drawn to give back to God through our churches and their work in the world.

In my denomination we promise to support the church with our “prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness” when we join.  It is much the same in any church for these are the things Christ did when He set us the example of how to live our lives.

I think the list goes from easiest to hardest for most people.  A time of prayer each day or a few prayers here and there is easy to offer up to God.  Being present in church on a regular basis takes a bit more effort but is not really that hard.  Giving back some of the gifts that God has blessed us with is OK for most.  When one begins to speak of tithing it takes a bit more and here is where we begin to see some delineation in what commitment really looks like.  Service requires a higher commitment that basic giving.  It is more that the hour on Sunday morning and often requires some effort to serve.  Here we see more separation.

But that last word – witness – is the most challenging.  It is the promise that takes risk, the one that requires us to really put ourselves out there. It also calls upon us to trust in God and to seek the Spirit’s lead.  His promise is to give us the words we need, when we need them.  When we offer our witness or testimony, God will be fully present with us if we acknowledge our need for Him.  Trust and obey, for God really is good all of the time.

Scripture reference: Psalm 107: 1-3


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Daily Pursuit

One of my devotionals today spoke of a man who for almost forty years has made a 10″ by 20″ sketch of the sun’s surface each day.  Scientists use his sketches to predict solar flares.  The artist had this quote: “The value… is in the daily record.”

God began his recording with these word: “In the beginning…”  Genesis 1 tells the story of God’s creation of the earth and all that lives on the earth.  Ever since that day, God has been in the creation business.  There is a real constancy to God.  Our God was and is and always will be the same.

This idea may lead some to think you only need to read the Bible once or only need to pray or worship once in a while.  But one must also remember how big our God is.  There is so much to learn from Him and to know about Him that it must be a daily pursuit.

Many people say they love their spouse more than they did when they first got married, yet when they first fell in love they couldn’t imagine how they could ever be more in love.  As we spend time each day reading His Word, being in prayer, and worshipping our Lord, we too fall more and more in love with Him.  Like the sun sketcher, there is much value in the daily pursuit.

Scripture reference: Genesis 1: 1-5


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Prayer, Joy, and Good

Have you ever had a day when you were without sin?  A day when you felt in touch with God each moment of that day?  A day when God was all you thought about?  To spend a day 100% in God’s presence would be amazing but in my mind it seems almost impossible.

Our minds race from one thought to another so quickly and how often we think or say something unkind or judgmental.  It can be even more true in a season like this where the busyness of life seems to ramp up.

In 1st Thessalonians, Paul brings us words of wisdom for this time of year.  He calls for us to pray continully and to always be joyful.  We are encouraged to seek good.  And best of all, he reminds us that we are not intended to do these things on our own.  First, the Holy Spirit is there to remind us, to uphold us, and to help us grow in our relationship with God.  Second, we are there for our fellow Christians to nurture, support, encourage, and pray for one another.  Together, may we make prayer, joy and good the focus of this day.

Scripture reference: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24


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Thankful for Each

In 1st Thessalonians, Paul begins the letter by thanking them for their faith and the community that exists between them.  For Paul it is all about the relationships – the ones between the people and God, the one between them and Paul himself, and the ones the people share with each other.  Paul is thankful for both the people and the many relationships that they have.

I too am thankful for the people of my church and the relationships that exist.  The relationships are what bind us together.  Through their willingness to be present and to offer what they can, we see the value of the community and the relationships that undergird it.  I can think of many specific people who offer themselves on Sundays – as singers, players, greeters, servers, reading, praying.  I can think of others who offer of themselves as teachers, shepherds, drivers, cleaners, leaders of areas of ministry.  I can think of many who volunteer at the day center for the homeless and needy – making a difference in people’s lives as they form relationships and offer what they can.

Each of these folks have a relationship with each other, with the body as a whole, and with God.  Every single one matters and all are essential.  Who in your community of faith are you thankful for?  What relationships do you value?

Prayers of blessing upon each one and upon their continuing, growing relationships with each other and with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Prayers also that He remain the cornerstone and foundation today and forevermore!!

Scripture reference: 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10


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Through Reading and Prayer and Action

When we read and pray through the Bible, we are making  choice to spend time with God and Jesus.  We see God’s power, might, love, mercy and sense of justice revealed as we read and pray through the Old Testament.  We also draw closer to our creator and become more in tune with God.  Even Jesus spent time reading and praying through the scriptures in the synagogue.

In the New Testament we encounter Jesus, God made flesh.  In reading and praying through the New Testament we come to know the compassion, forgiveness, grace, and love of neighbor – parts of God that Jesus more fully revealed to us.  Through Jesus Christ we gain a more complete understanding of who God is and who we are called to be as a child of God and as a disciple of Christ.

As we read and pray through the scriptures, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to help us understand, to gain insights, and to live out our faith.  The Holy Spirit also bring sus the words to teach our faith to our children and as we share our faith with the stranger.  The Spirit guides us as we live out our faith through acts of mercy and compassion, helping us to live out the love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and power we find in God and in Christ Jesus.

As we read and pray through the scriptures, we not only come to know and understand God and Jesus better, but also to sense our own personal call to share our faith with the broken world in which we live.  By sharing our faith, we express both an act of worship to God and an act of thanksgiving for the many ways in which He blesses our lives.  In James 4:8 we read: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.  May we draw near so that we may draw others near as well!

Scripture reference: Psalm 78: 1-4 and 12-16


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Two Sides of Faith

Faith is at once both personal and corporate.  Most of the time we live out our faith in isolation but we gather periodically with other believers.  Each day we seek to connect with God through prayer, reading His word, and in reflection upon His word.  This connection and relationship shows as we live out our life on a daily basis.  At times we also gather with other believers – perhaps on a Sunday morning for worship, maybe at another time in a small group or class.  These gatherings encourage, equip, strengthen, and support us in our relationship with God.

Much is the same in our two faith lives.  Daily we come before God, laying our sins before Him, seeking to be cleansed.  Daily we offer our thanks and petitions, seeking His presence in our life.  Daily we read His word, seeking to find how He speaks to us that day in the words we read.  As we gather together, these practices are done again, but this time as a fellowship of believers.  Although on one level, the acts are the same, there is meaning and value and much is gained from our time together.  In the songs, the message, the communal prayers, we are united as one.

Both aspects of our faith are essential.  One fuels and builds the other up.  They work together to help us on our Christian journey.  As we seek to grow in our faith, may each day bring us blessings through our connection with God.

Scripture reference: Psalm 105: 1-6 and 37-45


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A Day to Pray

In one of my devotional readings today author Catherine Cavanagh tells of an experience she had in Bethlehem. She was in Israel and it happened tobe during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.  As she and her companions were sitting at a table by the main square, the nearby mosque announced the call to prayer.  She observed many Muslims headed to the mosque.  But soon it was full so they began to fill the public square in front of her and her companions.  Each unrolled their prayer mat and dropped to their knees and began praying, totally oblivious and unconcerned with anything or anyone except their time of prayer.  She was awed by this simple example of their dedication to their faith.  I too am moved when I picture the scene in my mind. As I think about this scene that unfolded before her, it also makes me wonder.  If we were to show up on a Sunday morning and our churches were all full to the brim, would we drop to our knees on the sidewalk and pray?

Outside of the church and our own private homes, Christians generally do not pray in public.  You do see it some.  A family may pray before a meal when they are out at a restaurant or a group of football players will huddle up and pray when another player has been significantly injured.  You may see a group out in a public space that prayers before they begin their Bible study.  And I don’t think people mind.  Yet we feel hesitant to pray in public at times.  We too need to be bold for our faith and to offer up a prayer when the situation calls for it or when we feel led by the Spirit to pray for someone or a situation.

So when you are out and about today, bow your head and offer up a prayer when you feel God calling you to do so.  And please remember this day to include those who were and are affected by the tragedies of 9/11.  Maybe that is just what you choose to pray about periodically throughout your day today.  Welcome and encourage the conversations that may come from others seeing you in prayer.  A chance to share our faith is always a good thing!!

Scripture reference: Romans 14: 1-12