pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: prayer


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Care Well

Reading: Genesis 1:26-28

Genesis 1:26 – “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.”

Today we turn to the day of creation when Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created humankind. In connection with one another, God says, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.” Humanity is to be like the divine in the ways that we are in the world. Keeping this in mind, how we understand “take charge” bends toward steward, care for, protect, guard, and love.

This week we have been considering prayer. Some of our thoughts have focused on unanswered prayer. What would it look like to blend the best intents of ‘take charge’ with some of the unanswered prayers that people pray? What would our world be like if we ourselves sought to be the answer to people’s needs?

If we saw the resources that we have been blessed with as ways to care for the hungry, the sick, the naked, the imprisoned, then how would our world change? If we saw our role as the protector and defender of the vulnerable, the weak, the marginalized, the oppressed, then how would their lives change? If we were willing to risk and sacrifice on behalf of those without voice, without power, how would a new reign of justice and mercy become the reality in our world?

Because we are created in the divine image, we have within us the ability, the power, and the heart to care well for our world and for all of the earth. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, bend our hearts towards your heart. Remove the selfish, inward focus that creeps into our hearts, our thinking, our way of acting and being in the world. Empower us to be the answer to these questions pondered today. Amen.


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A Safe and Sacred Space

Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:6 – “Bring up all your requests to God in prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.”

Photo credit: Alex Woods

Our passage today begins with Paul encouraging the Philippians to be glad in the Lord and to let this internal feeling overflow into how they treat others. For Paul, his joy or gladness comes from the trust and faith that he has in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. For Paul, being joyful leads to gentleness. In turn, this heart condition will show through in how one treats others. Likewise, when one is grumpy or unhappy, one tends to be short or harsh with others. Because God is near to Paul, he finds joy and gentleness in ample supply. The same can be true for us.

Paul’s trust and faith leads him to write to the Philippians, “Don’t be anxious about anything.” He is inviting them into the space that he finds when he makes the effort and the choice to trust God. Offering a way to counter the anxious feelings (and the doubt, fear, worry…) Paul tells them, “Bring up all your requests to God in prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.” In moments of need, pray! Pray to God, Paul advises. In prayer we draw near to God. Drawing near to God, laying our prayers before God, we receive a peace from God. As Paul shares, it is a peace “that exceeds all understanding.”

Offering up our prayers and petitions – along with our thanksgiving – places our trust, our concerns, our very selves in God’s presence and care. In this place, we are kept safe, heart and mind, surrounded by God’s love. May we ever draw close, entering into a safe and sacred space through prayer.

Prayer: Lord God, call us again and again to the safe space of prayer. Entering into your divine presence, fill us with joy, gladness, faith, and trust. Help us to release our worries and doubts, our fears and anxieties. Bring us to a place of assurance, knowing that your love and care are greater than anything that the world can bring our way. Thank you Lord. Amen.


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God at Work

Reading: Mark 2:1-12

Mark 2:2 – “So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door.”

Photo credit: Milo Weiler

In Mark 2 we find a story that is not directly about prayer but can speak to us about prayer. We’re early in Mark’s gospel. According to what’s written, Jesus has healed people and is beginning to draw a crowd. Of those who packed out the house in today’s reading, how many do you think prayed on their way there?

The story first focuses in on four people who have brought their paralyzed friend to be seen by Jesus. Surely all five prayed in the way to see Jesus. So great was their perseverance, so strong their love for their friend, they tore open the roof to get their friend before Jesus. And Jesus’ initial words? “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Likely not what these five were praying for. Great for the man, but…

Jesus then perceives the thoughts of the legal experts. He calls them out. What prayers do you think they quickly muttered? They certainly were not praying to be put in their place by Jesus. Yet they are. Their thoughts opened the door for God to work good in many ways. It is at this point that the man is healed, answering the prayers of the group of five. In this moment, the crowd is amazed and praises God.

While many prayers went unanswered this day, God was still very much at work in the lives of all of these people. We hold hope for the legal experts. Maybe this humbling experience led to growth in their faith too. God’s desire was and is to draw all people to a saving knowledge of God. So may we continue to pray faithfully, trusting in God to work good in our lives and in our world.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder to ever seek your presence, to linger in that space, expecting good from you. Help us to ever be open to what you are doing, especially when it is beyond our limited vision or understanding. Draw us closer to you, moment by moment, encounter by encounter. Amen.


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For All People

Reading: 1st Timothy 2:1-4

1st Timothy 2:1 – “First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.”

As we begin 1st Timothy 2, Paul encourages Timothy (and us) to offer prayers for everyone – “for all people.” Paul assumes that Timothy will pray for the regulars: family, friends, people he knows who need specific prayers. This is likely familiar territory. Maybe you, like me, have a standard list of people and situations that you pray for every day plus a few that are in your prayer list for a time or a season.

Paul next singles out praying for “kings and everyone who is in authority.” Why would Paul do this? Well, look no further than our current reality. In Timothy’s day it was the Roman authorities and the Jewish religious leaders who were persecuting the church. What prayers might Timothy lift for those in authority? What prayers might help lift that are in alignment with God’s will and heart? May our godly thoughts on these questions guide our prayers for our leaders.

In verses 3 and 4 Paul gives Timothy (and us) the “why.” Paul reminds us that it is “right” and that it “pleases” God when we offer prayers for all people, especially for those that are hard for us to pray for. It is our charge. First and foremost, it should be so because God desires for “all people to be saved” and to come to “a knowledge of the truth” – to understand and know God’s will and heart for themselves. Second, to pray hard prayers, that changes and empowers our hearts too. As our prayers become better aligned with God’s desires, our world will better reflect God’s kingdom here on earth. May our prayers work towards this goal and hope.

Prayer: Lord God, open our hearts wide, enabling us to pray as you call us to pray. And, Lord, open wide the hearts of our leaders, filling them with what fills your heart: mercy, grace, compassion, love. Guide all of our leaders to be leaders for and of all people, working for the good of all people. Amen.


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Together

Readings: James 5:13-18 and Galatians 6:1-2

James 5:16b – “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.”

As we wrestle with the practice of prayer this week, today we receive guidance on how, when, and why. In James we read of when to pray: when suffering, when sick, when struggling with sin. This list is, of course, not all-inclusive but illustrative. There are many other situations that call for the power of prayer.

James encourages us to be a part of our prayers too. We are to pray together. We are to gather with other believers and to anoint the sick with the oil of blessing. We are to confess our sins to one another, and then to pray for each other. This adds both support and accountability to our walk of faith. For James, prayer should lead us to action when possible because prayer should move our heart. In the last part of verse 16 he writes, “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” This is because prayer works both in the life of the one prayer for and in the life of the one who is praying.

In Galatians 6 Paul also addresses the call to hold one another accountable when we fall short. Paul tasks the faithful with restoring one another. A spirit of gentleness should guide our actions. After a reminder to be cautious of the temptation that comes from being near sin, Paul encourages us to carry each other’s burdens. Doing so we “fulfill the law of Christ.” We carry and fulfill through both action and prayer, physically and spiritually strengthening our brothers and sisters in Christ. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, community is so important to our faith. Yes, we can walk in relationship with you by ourselves. But it is so much richer, so much easier, to walk with others in faith. Together we are stronger. Together we receive and give to one another, encouraging, supporting, lifting, sharing. O Lord, guide us to live our faith together in community. Amen.


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Stronger and Deeper

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10

2nd Corinthians 12:8 – “I pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me alone.”

Today we read an example of “unanswered” prayer in the New Testament. In our passage we see that Paul has “a thorn in his side.” It is not, of course, a literal thorn. Paul has a health issue of some sort. My study Bible indicates that a skin disease, an eye ailment, or epilepsy are among the common speculations. It could have been anything that Paul thought made ministry difficult. In alignment with the common understanding of his day, Paul assumes the “thorn” is from Satan and is meant to keep him humble. The “outstanding revelations” he’s had could otherwise lead to conceit.

Paul takes his need to God. It is impairing his ability to minister to others. Surely this prayer is aligned with God’s will. But in verse 8 we read, “I pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me alone.” In a relatively quick response God tells him that God’s grace is enough. In his human weakness, God’s strength is revealed and is “made perfect.” Paul decides that he is okay with “weakness, insults, disasters…” because then God’s power shines through.

While Paul received an answer from God, we often come to realize or “see” our answer in hindsight. That difficult relationship, that hard situation, that challenging experience – those things we prayed and prayed about – as we look back we can see how God was at work. Although God did not cause them to happen, God worked in and through our hardships. We emerged with a stronger and deeper faith and trust because of our “thorn.” This too is an answer to prayer.

Prayer: Lord God, while we never like a trial when we’re in the midst of it and while we’d sure like you to solve or relieve our struggle, in the end we realize that you are in control and that you seek to work good for us. Thank you for holding to the long game, ever faithful and loving to us, your children. Amen.


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Not My Will

Readings: Luke 22:39-42 and Matthew 21:18-22

Luke 22:42b – “However, not my will but your will must be done.”

Photo credit: Falaq Lazuardi

As Jesus enters his final days on earth he goes to the Mount of Olives to pray. In the first verse we read “as was his custom.” Jesus Christ was a person of prayer. Even though he was God in the flesh, as a man he was also human. Perhaps his admonition to his disciples to not fall into temptation was also a reminder to himself. Jesus knows what lies ahead. This is the “cup of suffering” that he prays about. It is a cup that the human Jesus would rather not have to drink at this moment. At its core this is a “if there’s another way, God” kind of prayer. We’ve all prayed this kind of prayer – in many forms, in many situations. Then, from a place of humility and faith and surrender, we’ve prayed as Jesus prays, “Not my will but your will must be done.”

Our Matthew passage for today also comes from Jesus’ final week. It’s a few days earlier – on Monday instead of Thursday. Returning to the city, Jesus is hungry. He sees a fig tree but finds nothing but leaves. This tree is symbolic of Israel’s fruitless faith. With a word from Jesus, the tree dries up. The amazed disciples are told, “If you have faith and don’t doubt” then they will do this and more. They will even be able to move a mountain with their words. Extending the idea of the power of faith without doubt, Jesus adds, “If you have faith, you will receive whatever you pray for.”

If we combine the core teaching of these two lessons from Jesus, we find a key practice of our prayer life: pray in faith, aligned with God’s will. We do not always know God’s will. In these cases, we are to pray as Jesus prayed in the garden, with humility and surrender, “Not my will but your will must be done.”

Prayer: Lord God, as we walk through this life, seeking to be faithful and true to you, strengthen our faith and our trust in you. By your Spirit, lead us to grow in our faith, aligning ourselves more and more with your will and way. And using Christ’s example, guide us to humbly bend our will to your will. Amen.


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All the Glory

Reading: John 15:5-8

John 15:8 – “My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.”

Today’s passage bridges last week’s question of heaven’s existence and this week’s wrestling with unanswered prayer. The two topics of doubt fund answers in Jesus’ teaching about being the true vine. This image is one also used throughout the Old Testament.

In verse 5 Jesus declares the connected relationship: “I am the vine; you are the branches.” If we remain in Jesus, then we will “produce much fruit.” The main fruit aligns with the great commission: making disciples of all nations. We also produce fruit and bring heaven to earth when we bring Christ’s love, hope, mercy, grace, peace, joy, forgiveness… to those in the world. Of this good life Jesus says, “My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.” When we remain in Christ we produce fruit in this world, we bring God much glory.

The converse is also true. When we allow ourselves to become disconnected from Jesus, we will then fail to produce fruit for the kingdom. In that broken relationship we cannot do any good work that glorifies God. And, in the end, we will be “gathered up, thrown into a fire,” where there will be, as Jesus often said elsewhere, weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In verse 7 we begin to lean into the outcomes of our prayers. Here too is a connection. Here Jesus tells us that if we “remain in me and my words remain in you,” then what we ask for will be done. Remaining connected to Christ keeps our heart and therefore our prayers aligned with God’s heart and with God’s will and way. Praying in this way will produce good fruit that glorifies God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, our connection to you is so important, so vital. As we spend time each day in prayer and study, our connection strengthens. Then, as we go out into life and into the world, your words, your Spirit, your will and way go with us, guiding us. May this connection empower us to produce fruit as we strive to build your kingdom of heaven here on earth, bringing you all the glory. Amen.


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A Heart for All People

Reading: 1st Timothy 2:1-6a

1st Timothy 2:2 – “Pray… so that we can live quiet and peaceful lives in complete godliness and dignity.”

This past week we read passages that spoke of the timeless and eternal truths of God and our faith. We also read some challenging passages that were written for a time and place different from our own. Hopefully both added to our understanding of the Bible, strengthening our relationship with God as well. Today Paul writes to Timothy about another essential practice of our faith.

Paul begins by asking Timothy to pray for all people. Paul understands that God’s call is to all people – so that they can be saved. Understanding that Jesus died to bring eternal life to all people is key to understanding who and what God is. God is generous in love, wide in mercy, deep in grace. Paul encourages Timothy and us to pray for those in authority. In his day, these would be the ones persecuting and harassing the church. This aligns with Jesus’ call to pray for our enemies.

We read the “why” concerning prayer in the last part of verse 2: “So that we can live quiet and peaceful lives in complete godliness and dignity.” Praying brings a peace and a calm to us. It changes our hearts, not just the hearts we’re praying for or about. This changed hearts is reflected in our lives and in our interactions with those we’re praying for and about. We better reflect the godliness and dignity Paul speaks of. These things, in turn, reveal God and Jesus to others – again, those God wants to be saved. May we be people of deep and sincere prayers, changing hearts, beginning with ours.

Prayer: Lord God, open our hearts to your great love, mercy, and grace. May these be the foundation of our prayers and, therefore, our lives. Help us to have your heart for all people. Amen.


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The Great Commands

Reading: Matthew 22:34-40 and 7:9-12

Matthew 7:12 – “Treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.”

Photo credit: Shane

In Matthew 22 the Pharisees get together and decide to test or trap Jesus. Their religious rivals, the Sadducees, have just been left speechless after their attempt to trap Jesus in his words. The Pharisees send one forward to test Jesus with a question: What’s the greatest commandment? The Law has 613 (or 623) commands. Which is the most important one Jesus?

Quoting from the Law, Jesus identifies the Deuteronomy law to love God with all that you are. He quickly adds one from Leviticus: “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” For a devout Jew these are the two core commands. These two verses form the heart of a prayer offered each and every day, both morning and night. While the concept of loving God and neighbor is easy to understand, the actual execution of these commands can be very hard. To date, I believe that Jesus is the only one with a 100% success rate.

Jesus offers some practical application tips in chapter 7, verses 9-12. Here he uses parenting as the analogy. If your child asks for bread or fish because they are hungry, who would give them a rock or a snake instead? Well, no good parent would. Jesus then reminds us that the one who loves us as children will do the same and even more. He then generalizes this teaching on loving well to others, adding, “Treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.” Give that person in need not just bread but some water too. Give that stranger not just a fish but a place to stay too. Just as the Lord our God is good and loving and generous, Jesus says, you do the same.

Prayer: Lord God, the call is clear: love well, love deeply, love genuinely. You have modeled this and your son Jesus modeled it. We have no excuses. We can’t play dumb. Yet we sure can struggle to love you with all that we are and to love others as we love ourselves. Lord, encourage and empower us today to love as you call us to love. When we waver, strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you, God. Amen.