How Can I Pray?

First of all, let’s define prayer. Here’s the bottom line: Prayer is communication with God. It’s not that God doesn’t know what we need, but with prayer we invite Him into our lives.

Prayers can be formal or informal, written or spontaneous. Since God created languages, He's open to prayers from people in all countries. I grew up with the King James Bible, but was taught to pray in my everyday English language.

Here are a few simple guidelines:

1.       Approach God with humility, avoid praying to be seen by people.

Jesus taught this with a parable about two characters: A Pharisee and a tax collector.  One prayed to be seen, proudly listing all his religious accomplishments. The other tried to be unnoticed as he bowed his head and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:9-14)

2.       Prayer does not require wordy repetition.

Jesus said pagans thought their gods would hear them if they used many repetitive words. But He said our Father knows what we need, so prayers can be simple and direct. (Matthew 6:7-8).

3.       The Lord’s Prayer is a great model.

If you’re not sure what to pray, review Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV). I enjoy praying this in group settings, but sometimes I pray it on my own, using one sentence at a time to jump start my own prayers.

4.       Pray for the needs of others, as well as yourself.

Be alert to people and their needs. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul made his request very simple: “Brothers and sisters, pray for us.” (I Thessalonians 5:25 NLT)

5.       Simple sentence prayers are heard, too.

Remember when Peter was walking on the water toward Jesus? He lost his focus, started to sink and cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached for him (Matthew 14:28-31). Remember one of the thieves crucified next to Jesus? He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus said, “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)   

If you’ve considered prayer a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, think again. You can talk to God about anything, anytime, anywhere. What could be better than that?  

  

Be Generous With Joy

 

Joy is an upbeat feeling of gladness that results in positive actions. Some people sing for joy, others dance. Some people wax eloquent in poetry, others express joy through paintings or sculptures.

Christians find joy in knowing and serving God. Jesus found joy in obeying His Father’s earthly will to the very end, meaning even to His death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2).  

It’s hard to separate joy from happiness or contentment. True joy is hard to hide or contain, but why even try?

Joy gets even better when shared. It was never meant to be hoarded.

Some see joy as morning dew or a gentle rain bringing hidden seeds to life as colorful flowers in unexpected places.

Others see joy as a quiet brook bubbling along while refreshing friends. Either way it is something desirable, positive and uplifting.

Be generous with joy. “He who waters will himself be watered,” said Solomon (Proverbs 11:25).

“What a person sows they will reap,” said Paul (Galatians 6:7).

Joy can be shared with an encouraging word, a loving deed or even a heart of forgiveness.

Joy flourishes in the unity of community. Consider these suggestions:

• ·      Share time with someone by treating them to breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• ·     Send a card of thanks or appreciation.
• ·     Connect with friends or family through phone calls or other modes of communication.
• ·     Invite someone into your home for simple fellowship over coffee or tea and dessert.
• ·     Surprise a colleague with their favorite treat.
• ·     Share encouragement with a favorite scripture or personal story of God’s goodness.

I’m sure you have your own good ideas, and things like this make joy contagious. Spread joy, not germs!

Joy is an inner fountain that propels us through all seasons of life. Some would call joy the oil of gladness that keeps their days rolling along.

As you join others on life’s journey, be generous with joy. Together your joy will never run dry.  

 

Equality and Submission

                  

Here’s a dichotomy for you. Like a boat on dry land the title words oppose each other, so let’s take a closer look.

I was listening to a Bible teacher* the other day whose key points brought up a personal memory.

There has been a lot of misinformation about women and submission, but here are some truths:

1)      Men and women are created equal before God

2)      All women are not required to submit to all men

3)      Women can be leaders, CEOs, or military commanders

4)      Submission applies only to a wife and her own husband

Marriage is not for everyone. If the idea of submission sets your teeth on edge, you may want to say, “No.” For sure you should not marry someone you don’t respect or trust, or who doesn’t care about what you think or feel.

In the days when this scripture was written women, children, and slaves in Roman, Greek, and Jewish cultures had great responsibilities. Men, on the other hand, had a great deal of freedom.

The true translation of submission means “to place under rank,” and Paul spoke not only to women. He also addressed men, children, and slaves (Colossians 3:18-4:1). Think about it. Everyone in the world is in submission to someone. That’s the orderliness of society.

My husband and I enjoyed equality in marriage for many years. I was comfortable submitting because he cared what I thought. After freely sharing my opinion or insight, I expected him to make our family decision. 

Strange as it seems, in the 1980’s women started teaching submission to the extreme. In taking some of their advice, I stopped freely sharing my thoughts and feelings. The result was that gradually my husband stopped asking for my opinion.

Things came to a head while exploring options for housing on a new job. Riding around, I became extremely depressed. God had given me a clear vision (warning) a few weeks earlier and I said to myself I’m not going to share this. He won’t listen anyway.

I can still see the street where I finally burst into tears. Shocked, my husband pulled into a parking lot and asked, “What’s wrong?” I told him about the vision and why I had not shared it with him earlier.

Besides his apology, he asked me to promise I would always share what I thought or felt. The fresh start was good, but it wasn’t magic. We had to rebuild our trusting relationship.

Equality and submission are positive truths. Please avoid getting bogged down with false teaching.

*Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, Pathway to Victory.

 

Can You Be Honest?

 

Have you ever had someone say, "Can I be honest with you?" No matter how you felt about it, I'll bet you said, "Yes."

I prefer that people be honest with me. I have a hard time with those who talk indirectly about an issue, expecting me to guess what they mean. My response may seem totally irrelevant. 

When I was fighting cancer, I became deeply aware of the Psalms. Before then I had read them, but never really studied them. In fact, I started with a simple Bible study booklet called *Praying the Psalms.

Today I focused on Psalm 139. There David praises God for His ability to be everywhere at once plus His ability to know all things. These characteristics are listed in the dictionary under omnipresent and omniscient.

In the first six verses, David says God knows everything about him. Then in verse seven, he asks, “Where can I flee from Your Presence?” He shares illustrations of a God that is everywhere; there’s no place to hide.

In verses thirteen through sixteen, David declares the beauty of creation in utero. I found it easy to agree when he said, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our life systems are awesome---Skeletal, Muscular, Respiratory, Digestive, and Reproductive, to name a few.

The last four verses are interesting contrasts. First, David declares his love for God, including hatred for those who malign God and speak evil of him.

Then he follows up with a prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV).

Can you be that honest? Can I? If you read David’s life story, he wasn’t perfect. Neither are we, but with God, and people, honesty is the best policy.

 *Bible study booklets by InterVarsity Press are available in the Life Guide Bible Studies Series from ChristianBooks.com or Amazon.

 

Connect or Disconnect

4   I used to have a game called Connect 4. In my early twenties I played it at a friend’s house and was so intrigued with it she bought me one.

Online you'll find this game in various sizes. It’s a two-person game and I had the small table version. The winner was the first person to rack up four tokens vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

I have no idea why I enjoyed that game so much, but I played it a lot before I gave it away in one of my many moves.

2   While reading a Psalm this week, Connect came to mind. Two players mentioned in Psalm 32:7-8 (NIV) had a connection worth thinking about.

The first player, David, declared his faith in God this way (v. 7): 1) You are my hiding place, 2) You will protect me from trouble, and 3) You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

Below these three declarations, he wrote SELAH. There is no direct translation of the word, but the Amplified Bible explains it as “pause and think calmly of that,” so I did.

The second player was God. In verse 8 David shared four things God said He would do: 1) I will instruct you, 2) I will teach you in the way you should go, 3) I will counsel you, and 4) I will watch over you.

If you don’t know much about David, read the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament. His life was never easy, but he kept a strong faith in God.

In connecting with God, David had the same problem we do---timing. God’s timing always seems slower than ours. Perhaps that’s why David declared, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word, I put my hope” (Psalm 130: 5 NIV)

1   The Apostle Paul said God has given each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Some people, like David, choose to use their faith to connect with God.

Others choose to disconnect their faith from God and put their trust elsewhere.

To connect or disconnect from God is not a game, but a personal choice with consequences. If you wonder if it matters, read Acts 10:39-43 and Revelation 20:12-15.

 

Good (For Us) Friday

Time changes things. Yes, I know prayer changes things, too, but by the time you read this, we will have celebrated Resurrection Sunday, commonly called Easter. Today I’d like to share thoughts about Good Friday. 

The small midwestern towns of my childhood offered Good Friday community services. Since my minister father always belonged to the local Ministerial Association, it was my privilege to grow up with an appreciation for all sincere believers in Christ.

Some churches are more formal than others, but Good Friday’s message is the same: Jesus’ betrayal, crucifixion, and burial. These are sad events, so why call them Good?  

Afternoon community services have given way to individual church services, many of them now in the evening. That’s true of my church---this year's topic: Jesus' Seven Last Words on the Cross.

I wanted a head start so I googled that phrase. First up, however, were the Seven Last Sayings of the Cross, drawn from all four Gospels.

Google them for yourself, and note the Seventh Saying: Into Your hands, I commit My spirit (Luke 23:46). Now count the words . . . seven!

I’m thinking this makes Friday good for Jesus, too.

Doesn’t it feel good to complete an assignment? John 19:30 records the Sixth Saying: “It is finished.” With that, Jesus bowed his head and gave up His spirit.

Earlier Jesus had said He had authority from His Father to lay down His life and take it up again; no one could take it from Him (John 10:17-18).

If you’re wondering where Jesus is today, Hebrews 10:12 says He offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, then sat down at the right hand of God.  

We would have no Resurrection Sunday to celebrate without the events of Good Friday. I do not enjoy thinking of the pain Jesus endured for us that day (John 19).

I am, however, grateful for Jesus' complete obedience to His Father, even unto death. Because of Him, John 3:16 became true for all of us: For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

 

WC: 357

The Fabric of Society

Have you ever watched someone work with a small loom? Whenever I have, I’m amazed at their patience. Thread by thread, or yarn by yarn, they pull the shuttle and develop a rug or piece of cloth.

A society, or community, is built up the same way. Its threads include areas of influence such as Families, Schools, Businesses, Entertainment, Media, Government, and Churches.

It’s easy to take these things for granted. I couldn’t help but think of Ukrainians today as I read Psalm 38:12 NKJV: Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all day long.

Who could miss news about the current European David vs. Goliath conflict? Refugees by the thousands keep trying to escape war-torn Ukraine. Most are women and children since men are fighting against all odds.

They are now in a variety of countries around the world with one word in common: Different. Life as they knew it is gone.

Think about it. Picture yourself in a torn-apart society. You are out on the street because your home has been bombed, food is wherever you can find it, to even try to escape you must walk, and safety is the most elusive thing ever!

In such a state, would you be thankful for any kindness or mercy, no matter how small? Jesus taught “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7, NKJV).

Mercy is a character trait. A heart of mercy can be shown by kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, grace, or compassion. As individuals, we show mercy in different ways.

Some people offer their skillful service to world relief organizations. Others assist at food banks or missions. Many show mercy by donating to charitable organizations, including churches involved with local communities.

Refugees aren’t the only ones dealing with society’s torn fabric. Worldwide COVID has also had a destructive impact. 

If you've ever torn a favorite shirt or skirt, you know that, even with mending, it’s never the same. That’s also true of society, but don’t give up.

Hang in there, show mercy wherever and whenever you can. A little mending is better than none!