Constantly in Prayer

I have to look in the mirror on this one to determine and adjust my approach to prayer. I find myself praying at the times when it is “scripted” to do so; in the morning and at night, at meals, before traveling, and in church. I look at this approach and see that in some cases I am praying four to five times a day. That seems pretty good and in thinking of other relationships I have, my conversations with God far exceed those others. But is that really constantly praying?

“¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” – Romans 12:12 (ESV)

The verse above comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this passage he is outlining the “Marks of the True Christian”. There is a lot more to this passage as at one point I did a 17 day study and writing of the full passage from verse 9 through 21 of chapter 12. I have to believe that Paul meant in the verse above to pray more than four to five times a day. I have notes of my thoughts to “stay in constant communication with God”. As a “True Christian” I have to be the example of what right looks like and walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Now I do know that I am not always the “scripted” praying Christian as I have many a time where I have stopped to pray for someone or some situation in the moment. Yet, I also know that those times are not common enough in my work for the LORD. I have to constantly pray and communication with God. I should be praying for my walk in the mornings (and even during). I should be praying as I begin a new task. I should be praying at the end of a task. I should be praying when I think of another person. I should be praying in and around all situations I encounter and those where I am sitting idle.

Being constantly in prayer is not constantly sticking to the scripted times to do so. Being constantly in prayer is keeping the line open and speaking with God any time there is something that comes to mind. I think about when I was a teenager and on the line with the girlfriend and not saying anything but just breathing. Yet I knew that she was there on the other end of the line to chat when something came up. The relationship and the communication line with God is so much more important than that. He is there to listen and guide me. He is there to comfort me and carry me. He is there always and wants to hear from me. Be constantly in prayer.

What does constant prayer look like to you? Are you praying according to the scripted times and reasons? What if you just constantly prayed to God in and around all times in your life, no matter how “important” they may seem?

Prayer In the Midst of Decision

This morning as I continue my study of the word “prayer” I have found a strong reminder of the need for prayer in the midst of decision making. I know it may seem like an obvious thing to seek the counsel of God when making decisions, yet the reminder this morning is around the reminder for groups and not just the single individual.

The passage I was brought to this morning is in the first chapter of Acts. Jesus had promised the arrival of The Holy Spirit and then He ascended to His rightful place at the right hand of God in heaven. The eleven remaining disciples returned to Jerusalem and immediately began to pray.

“¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” – Acts 1:12-14 (ESV)

Now it was not unusual for groups to pray following an event such as they had just been a part. Prayers of thanksgiving, celebration, mourning, and the like would have been and still today are pretty commonplace. This prayer was partly this and then there was the part that is captured by Luke as a part of this point in time. This was not only a time of thanksgiving, celebration, and mourning, but it was also a time of decision making. There was the decisions of what to do next, where to go, and as recorded here in this passage, the decision of who would replace Judas among the disciples of Jesus.

What I have to look at here is not the decision that was made, or the timing of that decision. It is the actions that lead up to the decision, prayer. And not only prayer of an/the individual, but prayer of a group, in one accord. These were not sent their own way to “pray on it” and then come back to have a discussion and finally make a decision. No, they came together as a group, identified the actions that needed deciding and they prayed together for Gods hand of wisdom on the decisions.

My question and thought was this, why would we not take a similar approach to decision making in other areas of our lives. I know that when we are in the church, there is prayer to send folks out as we corporately pray over them. We corporately pray for healing. We corporately pray for God to do His work in the world. How often are we praying corporately to make decisions?

Now I know what the thought might be that is running through the mind, “Everyone in a group may not pray”. First of all there is the obvious Christian question to that thought, why not. But more so what about simply allowing for the time of prayer or thought in the corporate setting when it is time to decide something. I know that I have been involved in too many meetings where there are actions or decisions needed where the approach is, “lets table this and think about it and come back together to make some decisions”. It has been my observation that what happens is that once the meeting or gathering has ended, there is little to no thought on the subject(s) in question until the group comes back together and inevitably there is another adjournment to that meeting without a decision or action being realized.

The disciples of Jesus followed the approach of Jesus, even in His absence (Jesus trained them for it). They prayed and decided. Not only as the individual, but as the group in one accord. It was the corporate prayer that led to the decisions and actions of one accord to go forward.

What approach are you taking when it comes to decisions? Are you praying as a group when there are decisions and/or actions needed? What if you took the approach to come together as a group and not only discuss, but pray together ahead of discussion in working toward a decision guided by God?

The Power of Prayer

“²¹And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. ²²And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.’” – Matthew 21:21-22 (ESV)

Jesus had just scolded a fig tree for not producing any fruit when He went to draw from it, and the disciples were marveled and wanted to know how. Now, I want to take a step back from the question or observation here that Jesus scolded a tree that did not produce fruit for Him to draw, as that is not the story. The story is how did it happen.

In Matthew 7, Jesus says:

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 (ESV)

Now He is expanding on that to include how it works. It is through prayer to the Father and faith that He will act on your behalf. God is listening and wants to provide, and it is up to us to ask, but asking flippantly is not the way. The ask has to come from the heart and there is faith that God will provide for the ask.

We have to open our eyes and accept that which God provides based on our ask. I have asked for many things from the LORD and when it came to it, I did not receive what I asked for, or so I thought. You see, God hears our prayer and then counts that against the plan He has for you and me. After review, He then answers the prayer to be in line with His plan. I may not get exactly what I wanted, but I will get what God determines to be in line with His plan.

I know, Jesus says that if we ask for a mountain to be thrown into the sea, it will happen with our prayer and faith, and it will. The thing is, it may not happen as we expect or in the time we want. It may be that the area will flood and cover the mountain and that flooding will happen 100 years from now. But, you see, God will deliver on your ask through prayer and with your faith.

There is power in prayer, and all I have to do is to understand that power and know that my asks will be answered by the LORD in His time and in line with His plan for me.

What asks do you have for the LORD? Are you asking in prayer with faith and are you expecting immediate results? What if you asked through prayer and with faith and understood that God will answer in His time and His plan for you?

Be Sure that God’s House is a House of Prayer

How many have seen charity booths and causes taken up in the foyer of churches? I know that I have and where the they are for good (at least it seems so) I cannot help but wonder if them being there is “right” as God’s House is to be a House of Prayer and not a convention hall.

Now, before you scold me on the churches responsibility to care for others and these charities and causes are an extension of the churches reach, I am not implying that there should be an abandonment of those charities and causes. I am simply asking the question as to there being in the venue of the church.

I believe that we have to be careful as to the purpose of the church and how that fits with the marketing of the charities and causes that are presented. If we are not careful, I see the church building becoming a convention hall taking advantage of soft/guilty/needy hearts in the moment.

“¹²And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹³He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV)

Jesus saw the way the temple was being used as a marketplace and as such, He took action to drive them out to restore the temple to the House of Prayer. He was making sure that those coming to the temple were not being taken advantage of in their time of vulnerability and they had the chance to focus on their relationship with God.

Charities and causes need a voice and I want to say, I do believe the church should be involved in those charities and causes and should be bringing those to the congregation in response to the need that expressed. The only thing I have is that there has to be care taken as to the timing and the venue to which those items are communicated and shared. Maybe a charity/cause day or night that is sponsored and communicated through the church would be a solution. I am only cautious as to the when and where.

God’s House is a House of Prayer and it should held in regard as such. It is easy to wander away to other things in the interest of the good for others. We have to be careful to maintain God’s House as a House of Prayer and the opportunity to commune, worship, and praise Him.

What have you seen as goings on in your church? Do you find yourself distracted by the charities and causes? What if God’s House was maintained as a House of Prayer and the charities and causes left to another time and place?

God’s House, a House of Prayer

How many go to God’s House, the church, and are there to be seen and are not truly there to commune with God and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. This morning I am in the book of Isaiah continuing my study of the word “prayer”. I find that just going to the House of the LORD, is not the point. There is much more that we are called for, beyond just showing up.

“⁶And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,

to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,

and to be his servants,

everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant—

⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.”

— Isaiah 56:6-7 (ESV)

I see here that it is not the arriving at the House of the LORD. It is the keeping “the Sabbath” and not doing anything against it that makes the difference. I see that those that do so, will be joyful and their prayers will be heard, and therefor, God’s House will be the house of prayer.

I find myself weekly in God’s House, and I will say that prayer is not something that is missing where we as a family meet with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, at this time, we are in the midst of a study on prayer that has revealed so much. I want nothing more than to be known by God. I want to be in God’s House of prayer and offering to Him. I want my offerings to be accepted.

As I write this morning, I am brought back to the verses I have just read and see that for me to be in God’s House of prayer and for my offerings to be accepted, I simply have to devote myself to Him. I have to be present with Him and not look away. I must not be concerned with all that is around me and keep my eyes on God and my heart with Him. I have to “be there” in His presence. I have to remain vigilant in my pursuit of Him and do nothing to turn away from Him. I must hold on to the life that He provides for me and be thankful and accepting of all His provision and know that His blessings are just that, blessings and not guaranteed.

I am a child of God and as such, I have the joy of being able to meet with Him whenever I want. I have the opportunity to converse with Him and know that He is indeed there for me as I enter His House of prayer. When I meet with Him I devote myself to Him and keep those times focused on Him so as not to go against Him. I am to be there for the time with Him and nothing more.

What is your approach to your time in God’s House? Are you there to be seen? What if you just arrived and spent the time in conversation with God in His House of prayer and in devotion to keeping the time all about Him?

God Wants Our Prayer

I will admit that the title this morning does not tell the whole story of my thoughts. I felt that what I really wanted the title to be was more of an oration/quote than a title, so I went with the simplicity of, “God Wants Your Prayer”.

“⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.”

— Proverbs 15:8 (ESV)

Above is what I really wanted to say. You see, God is not interested in receiving sacrifices. The practice was part of the law of the old covenant and when the veil was torn in two at the death of Christ on the cross, the old covenant was replaced. No longer were we dependent on acts done by us for salvation. Salvation was given thanks to the act done by God. In the old covenant, it was pretty common for someone to perform the act of sacrifice once per year to atone for the past year of wickedness.

Now, it may seem that the giving up of something would be acceptable to God and well, it is. The thing that I have to look at is the 4^th and 5^th words of the verse above, “the wicked” to know that where giving up something is acceptable, it is where it comes from that the LORD is looking at. Is it coming from the heart or from “the wicked”. Is it an act of dedication to the LORD or is it an act put on for all to see. God is more interested in that which comes from the heart than all the overt acts for all to see.

So, God wants our prayer more than He wants our sacrifice. He desires an honest conversation with those who love Him back, although He continues to love all regardless of the reciprocation. Notice in the 2^nd part of the verse above that it is “the upright” and their “prayer” that is acceptable, and not the gifts given to God by just anyone. It is the quiet, private conversation with Him that God is looking for from His children. He wants our petitions to Him coming from the heart and not from the head. Yes it makes logical sense to give something to get something in return, it is just that God does not “need” anything, He only wants to have all of me.

I do have to declare that I do not consider myself to be upright, I am only striving every day to be there. It is not for me to determine my standing with God, it is His. What I will say is that I can only work each day to meet the requirements of God and those are simple enough, as Jesus stated was the greatest commandment.

“³⁶’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’³⁷And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)

God wants our prayer. He wants it over anything else.

What are you trying to give to the LORD? Are you trying to give something to atone for something or to get something in return? What if you simply gave of our love to Him and opened your heart to receive as you gave God your prayer?

Pray to God for Speedy Answer

I have been of the understanding that God works on His own timeline and I have to be content and accept that He does. And then I read this morning in Psalm 102.

“¹Hear my prayer, O LORD;

let my cry come to you!

²Do not hide your face from me

in the day of my distress!

Incline your ear to me;

answer me speedily in the day when I call!”

— Psalm 102:1-2 (ESV)

Here we see a complaining prayer to the LORD. Notice that it starts as I have recently written with the call out to the LORD for Him to hear. There is even the pleading with the LORD to pay attention. And then we see it, “answer me speedily in the day when I call!” And it is proclaimed in earnest as noted with the exclamation mark. We are to ask the LORD to work speedily.

I can see the conflict in what I understood and what I am reading as pertains to my asking of and receiving from the LORD. I can and frankly should be asking Him to hear my prayer, meet my needs, and deliver me. I am to be content with what I have as all comes from God and He will always provide. Yet, here we see the asking of God to hurry up, which is not allowing God to work in His time and according to His plan.

Well, again I have to remember that God’s Word is more encompassing that the single passages that are presented at any one moment. I have to remember context and also know that ultimately God will not allow for my suffering unless it is a part of His plan and ultimately for His glory. You see, this passage is one of angst and there is a look to the LORD for relief. Who does not want relief as quickly as possible. I know that when trouble is presented for me, I am looking for quick resolution. There is nothing wrong with asking the LORD to resolve things “speedily” as noted above. I have to remember the relationship with God that I have and that He wants to hear our pleas from an honest heart, and will not look unfavorably on me for crying out to Him for whatever it is I am asking.

Where I can and should ask God for whatever it is that comes and is in my heart, I have to take the rest into account and know that even in my plea, God will still be working with His own plan and timeline. God hears from us and listens fully with His heart open to our words and heart. He wants us to bring all of us, including our complains and pleas, so that He will have the opportunity to comfort and demonstrate His love for us. So it is fully okay and acceptable to ask for speedy resolution to our requests. We are not out of bounds as the LORD is full of compassion for us and our relationship with Him is one in which we should not have to hold back in any area, especially when we are feeling broken and in need.

What do your prayers to the LORD contain? Are you conflicted in asking for really what is in your heart because it may not be what you understand you can ask for? What if you just asked for that which is in your heart and know that God will answer in His time and according to His plan?

Ask God to Hear Your Prayer

“²O God, hear my prayer;

give ear to the words of my mouth.”

— Psalm 54:2 (ESV)

I have to ask Him to hear me.

I know, God is always listening so why should I have to ask Him to hear me? Well, I will compare my interaction with God with the speaker in an event. When attending an event, everyone is waiting for the speaker to begin. They are milling around and engaged with others until the presentation or speaker begins. With that in mind, when taking the stage, the speaker must first get the attention of the group to have them settle in and turn their attention to the speaker. Once the crowd is “ready” and “attentive” the speaker begins.

Now I am not saying that God is not paying attention to me, on the contrary, He is very aware of me and my needs. Yet, I still need to draw Him close by announcing that I am here and am petitioning Him at that moment. It is up to me to initiate the conversation with Him through my announcement and request for Him to hear me. I have to submit to God always, yet in moments of prayer, I have to fully dedicate myself to Him and announce that I am wanting and needing to speak directly with Him.

I imagine that God is sitting on His throne, watching and listening for His children, ready to jump into action when we call. I close my eyes and can see Him picking us up when we fall and running to us when we call. I can picture God turning to me when I ask for Him and He scoops me in His arms and looks me in the eyes as I speak with Him.

All of the above begins with me asking Him to hear me. I pray to Him and want His full attention and the way I get it is to ask Him and know that when I do, He is there to listen.

When you pray, how are you opening your conversation with God? Are you just launching into your wants and needs? What if you were to open your prayer with the announcement that you are here and asking God to hear you?

The LORD Hears and Accepts Prayer

Prayer is the speaking with God, thanking Him, and asking for His help. I will admit, that for me it often feels like a one way monologue with very little, if any response from Him at all. I also know that it is likely not unusual as Lori feels the same way. The thing is that He does not need to respond to us with what His plans are as He is always working to ensure that they are carried out. The thing is we may not know of what He is doing or what the plans entail or look like. Our role is simply to pray and know that He is listening and hears us.

“⁹The LORD has heard my plea;

the LORD accepts my prayer.”

— Psalm 6:9 (ESV)

David was always praying to the LORD. He was always speaking with and thanking and asking for help during his rule. He questioned the LORD on the timing of things and what the plan was.

“²Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;

heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.

³My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O LORD—how long?”

— Psalm 6:2-3 (ESV)

But, as noted in verse nine above, He knew that the LORD was hearing his plea and was accepting of his prayer. David knew that the LORD was taking action and that while there may not be an immediate outcome that David wanted, the LORD was on his side and would be working to protect and guide him.

“¹⁰All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.”

— Psalm 6:10 (ESV)

I have to remember that my prayer does not fall on deaf ears of the LORD. He may not immediately answer me or my prayers, but He does hear them and accepts them and works with them in His plans for my life in living out that life for Him.

What prayers are you laying out there that you feel are not being answered? Are you looking for those immediate answers in affirmation of your requests? What if you just kept up with prayer knowing that the LORD does hear and accepts them and works with your requests in the carrying out of His plan?

Use Freedom to Serve All

I recently wrote of the freedom to serve and that was to serve God. This morning I was reminded that we serve all in addition to God. I am to serve everyone, yes everyone as I move through this world. I am even to serve those in authority, regardless of who they might be. The passage I was led to this morning is titled, “Submission to Authority”. It is not titled submission to the authority of God, just authority.

“¹⁶Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. ¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” — 1 Peter 2:16-18 (ESV)

I can only imagine the difficulty it was/is for those who are living under the thumb of one who treats me like an animal and thinks of me as something that is here for my own pleasure. I am not going to try and indicate that I know what it is like to be a slave, not even a little. What I am speaking of is that which I believe God has indicated through Peter here in this passage and how it aligns with the will of God and His Word.

Peter is indicating in the above that we are to be free in the LORD. We are to follow Him and just as Jesus did, we are to treat those in authority with respect and do the work assigned. For Jesus did indicate that we are to give to the authority that which we are to give to the authority.

“¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ ²¹They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” — Matthew 22:18-21 (ESV)

It is clear that where we are to serve the LORD, we are to also serve the authority here in this world.

We are free in the LORD and therefor we are certainly to be serving Him who gives us that freedom. Yet we are also to use our freedom to serve others. We are to bring the gospel to all and we do that through service and love and not through rule and fear. Service is giving of ourselves for the good of others and not for our own good.

Who are you serving in this world? Are you avoiding the service of those in authority as they, “have no power over you”? What if you just served all, even those in authority as we are commanded by God, so that through that service you are spreading the gospel?