Tag Archives: prayer

It’s A Problem

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Psalm 66

I think the main problem in our churches today might be the fact that there are a lot of prayers being prayed that never reach God’s ears. Too many of us cherish sin in our hearts. And God says when that is the case, He turns a deaf ear to our prayers.

Oh, I might envy what someone else has. But I’d never steal it.
I might accept transgender ideology, but I’d never try to change my own gender.
I might hate my neighbor, but I wouldn’t kill him.

David said those who cherish sin in their hearts are not heard. So maybe the main problem in our churches today is that we don’t deal with sin in our own hearts. We’re told to praise God with hands held high but we aren’t told that kind of worship angers God if we have unrepentant sin in our hearts.

We’re told “God answers prayer,” but the fact of the matter is He doesn’t if we aren’t wearing His righteousness through the blood of His Son. God doesn’t answer prayer if there is sin in our hearts. He doesn’t even hear them.

It’s a problem. And it can only be fixed if you and I, God’s children, surrender ourselves, repent of our sin, and go to God with clean hearts. i know that’s true. Scripture tells us…

IF my people, who are called by my name, will:
1. humble themselves
2. and pray
3. and seek my face
4. and turn from their wicked ways,
THEN I will:
1. hear from heaven,
2. and I will forgive their sin
3. and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, emphasis mine)

I might be wrong, but I don’t see that happening a lot these days. It’s a problem.

Where Do You Go?

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Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Life can be really hard. Where do you go for rest, for encouragement, or strength? Where do you go for refuge? It would seem that we can find those things in ourselves, if you listen to the current hype out there. Maybe you can. But why would you want to when there is something better?

I sit here today wondering why I don’t run into the arms of the eternal God more often. Why do I think I should be able to handle certain things without bothering God? Why do I start my day, hitting the ground running without first seeking refuge in the eternal God?

I think it’s foolish to neglect the privilege of shutting ourselves away with our loving Heavenly Father, the Eternal God who longs to wrap His everlasting arms around us. That’s where we find rest, encouragement, and strength. We don’t have to throw our shoulders back and force those things in us. The eternal God showers us with all that and more as we surrender to His everlasting arms.

Have you spent time in those arms today? Have you allowed Him to speak to you through His own Words as you read the Bible? Have you talked to Him in prayer, just the two of you tucked away from the world?

Do it.

Rest

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Leviticus 25

I can understand why the Israelites might express concern over God’s command that every seven years the land was not to be planted, nor crops harvested. God was really saying there would be no food for two years; the first when the land was resting, the second as the crops grew before the harvest. It wasn’t like they could just go to the grocery.

God foresaw their objection and said, “Don’t worry. The bounty of the sixth year will sustain you for three years!” More than they would need.

Ok, God, if you say so. But I am a bit anxious about the whole thing.

I hear God asking me this morning if I really trust Him with my own future. Or am I so busy making things happen, I miss the blessing that come from rest? Do I plunge into my day with just a quick nod to my Lord, or do I stop and let Him feed me from His bounty?

I hear God remind me to “be still and know that (He) is God.” (Ps 46:10)

He says, “Come unto me… and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

And, “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before you eyes!” (1 Sam 12:16)

Is it possible to be too busy serving God? It would seem so, according to Scripture. Even Jesus took a break from time to time to be alone with the Father.

Do you trust God? Don’t neglect the rest. Not rest FROM God or from serving Him, but rest IN Him before you serve.

Rest. Then get back to work.

Squandering A Blessing

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John 6

Jesus was focused on His mission. But the Jewish people didn’t want a spiritual Savior, they wanted a human king, someone like them who would overthrow Roman rule. Jesus knew they were eager to make Him into that king. But becoming that king would have been disobedience, and Jesus wasn’t having anything to do with that. He was not about to compromise the mission.

So Jesus did something that spoke to me today. He removed Himself from their presence, and went instead into the Presence of the Father. Jesus went up the mountain alone to find a secluded spot where He could pray in private.

We Christians are being coerced into compromise these days. Giving in is the easy thing to do. But it’s sin. We go ahead and call people by their preferred pronouns, pretending along with sinners that a person can change his or her God-given gender. We embrace sin, tolerate false teaching, blend in so as not to offend way too often. We’ve even changed the way we worship so it’s appealing to non-believers, instead of what is required of the One we are supposed to be worshiping. Compromise has become the norm, and it’s becoming a requirement for Christians.

I’m wondering if we shouldn’t learn from Jesus’ example. Have we neglected the blessing of prayer, the incredible privilege of shutting ourselves off from the world for a moment to spend some intimate time with the Creator God who loves us? Even Jesus knew the importance of intentional communion with the Father. Shouldn’t it be obvious that we need it even more?

I think the evidence that we are squandering this blessing of prayer is plainly seen. If we were praying for God to reveal sin in us, He would. If we asked Him to cleanse our hearts, He would. If we asked Him for strength to stand up to the temptation to compromise, He’d gladly give us the strength. We have not because we ask not.

And we compromise because we don’t have the strength to stand. Look around. Are we happy with where our compromises have taken us?

We have the privilege of prayer. It might take some effort to climb a mountain to get alone with God. We might have to step away from technology for a few minutes, remove ourselves from the hustle and bustle of life, from our families and friends. It might be a bit inconvenient. But anything worth having is worth working for.

And I think tapping into the gift of prayer is worth it. How sad when we squander this precious privilege of prayer.

Where Do You Go?

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Psalms 27, 31, 34, 52, 55-56, 120, 140-142

These psalms were written at a time when David felt hemmed in by his enemies. He felt alone, mistreated, under attack with no ability to fight back. So he called out to God. He humbled himself, submitted to the will of God, then trusted God for the outcome.

I have friends right now who must feel as helpless as David did. The husband is in the hospital fighting for his life, and as I write this, the doctors can’t pinpoint the cause. Kidney failure. Blood loss. Pain. But the doctors are still running tests with no definitive answer. The wife can only sit by his side and pray, and trust others are praying for him, too.

I have another friend who can only sit by helplessly while her drug-addicted son slips further and further into his addiction.

I have friends working in the public school system who are facing career-ending choices if they refuse to teach immoral curriculum, and if they support truth instead of teaching made up pronouns, and rewritten history.

My enemy continues to tempt me, to discourage me, to try to pull me away from Truth. I doubt any of us can say we’ve never been under attack. What do we do? Where do we go when our lives spin out of control?

David reminds me that there is really only one right answer to those questions. We run to God. We let go of the reigns and submit to His will. And we thank Him for the privilege of running to Him. We thank Him for His faithfulness, His power, and His great love.

Our God fights for and with us to destroy our enemy rather than being destroyed. He is God. And He can be trusted.

Where do you go?

What About Here?

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Numbers 23-26

How many times have I wanted God to DO something? I pray, but a door closes. I pray again, and His answer continues to be “No!”

So, I figure if I do something different, He’ll do what I want Him to do. I decide to go to church every Sunday instead of just occasionally. Maybe God will do what I’m asking from over here.

Again, the door I want open shuts in my face. So I decide to try something else. I write a bigger check and place it in the offering plate. Maybe God will answer me from here.

But when the answer is still “No!” I move on. I actually start inviting people to church. Surely God will do what I want from here.

Balak learned that no matter where you stand, if your request is a sin, God’s answer will be “No!”

Friend, if you think God’s not hearing you, even when you try to clean up your act thinking God will answer your prayer if you do, you might want to take a closer look at your request. God loves you enough not to give you permission to sin.

But if God’s “No” is a “Wait,” then trust Him. Give it to Him, then continue to serve Him out of love and in humility, believing He works all things for the good of we who love Him. Storm the throne of heaven with your request, if your request aligns with Scripture and is consistent with God’s character. Be patient for His will to be done.

Learn from Balak and Balaam. You can muster up all kinds of faith, you can say all the right words, and try to get to God from different angles in order to get Him to do what you want. But if your request is a sin, take the “No” as His love toward you. Because that’s what it is.

Rash Decisions

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Genesis 12-16

Have you ever reacted in the moment, then lived to regret it? I sure have. And so too, I think, did Abram. More than once.

First, when famine hit Canaan, Abram packed up and moved to Egypt. I don’t see him consulting God about that. It appears to be a blatant act of disobedience. But, the grass is greener on the other side of the Nile.

Entering Egypt placed him and his family smack dab in the middle of enemy territory. Abram wasn’t ready for that. Which leads us to rash decision #2.

Abram told his beautiful wife, Sarai, to lie to the King of Egypt. Dangerous move, there, Abe. Again, I don’t see Abram calling on God about the situation. Maybe, like Adam, Abram thought he could hide from God. Maybe he knew he shouldn’t be in Egypt in the first place and thought he’d gotten himself into this mess, he’d get himself out. (been there, done that myself a few times).

Both of these decisions indicate Abram’s lack of faith in God. Hold onto that thought. Because bad choice #3 tells the same tale.

God had promised Abram children. Lots of children. But at this point, Abram hadn’t fathered even one. So when Sarai came up with an idea, Abram went with it. Do you see either of them going to God first? I mean, God was the one who had made the promise. Maybe He would have had a better idea than having Abram sleep with a slave girl. Just saying.

Anyway, Abram went ahead without God, and the world has been paying for it ever since.

Have you found that reacting in the moment turns out to smack you in the face? That has been my experience more often than I care to admit. I would venture to say every life choice I’ve made without including God has ended badly. Some of those choices have minor consequences. Some of those choices have resulted in consequences I still experience decades later. Some choices effected only me. Other choices have caused others to experience pain.

But all is not lost. With all the mistakes Abram made, look at 15:6. And he believed the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

When we believe the Lord, when we obey Him, when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Which makes us righteous, too, just like Abram! Aren’t you glad God doesn’t write us off when we make those rash decisions? I am. There may be consequences, but there is forgiveness when we ask Him.

In Good News Club this week I was talking to the children about peer pressure. When faced with a hard decision, I encouraged the kids to think first. Is what they are considering right or wrong? If they do that thing, would it please God? That advice isn’t just for kids.

May we all think before we react in the moment. May we ask ourselves if our reaction is right or wrong according to God’s Word. And, maybe most importantly, would my reaction please God?

I think if Abram had thought about what he was doing, if He had prayed first, the world might look a bit differently today. If I had done the same, thought, prayed first, my life might look differently today, too.

I’m thankful for the life of Abram, a flawed individual who loved God, and whom God used in spite of his failures. I’m thankful for the cross, for forgiveness, and for prayer to a God who wants to help me make the right choices, ones that will be the best for me, and will glorify Him.

Praying For Healing

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2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38; 2 Chronicles 32

I sat here and wondered for a time why, when Hezekiah reminded God that he had been faithful to serve God and do what pleased Him, did God heal the king suffering from a fatal disease, and give him fifteen more years of life? I kept thinking how often Scripture tells us our best deeds are like filthy rags, that salvation is a gift and can’t be earned so that no one can boast. So why was Hezekiah saved from that death sentence because of works?

He wasn’t.

I believe he was saved because he went to God, laid it all at the feet of the Great Physician. Scripture says he wept bitterly, but it doesn’t tell us what those tears represented. Were they bitter tears, tears of regret, angry tears, or tears of repentance? It seems to me they were probably tears of surrender (my opinion only), the kind of prayer God still answers today.

However, this is not a recipe for healing. God doesn’t simply heal those who come up with the right attitude, or the right words to pray.

Here’s the thing: if we are faced with a terminal illness or another seemingly impossible situation, and we go to God and pray expecting to be healed, we aren’t really going to God. We are using Him.

But if, when faced with that diagnosis, we go to God, lay our illness or situation, heartache or anxiety at His feet, submit to His will with no strings attached, the outcome of our prayer will be everything He wants it to be!

When we truly put our faith in God, we release all expectations.

That’s why I am convinced the name-it-and-claim-it theology is anti-Christ. God is not our personal genie in a bottle to grant our wishes. How dare we reduce Him to that, and think we are being obedient.

Here’s another thing, and I believe it demonstrates what Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

If you or I or anyone else is saved from sin or disease, we are saved because of God. Period. It’s not about us. It’s about God.

Sadly, after God saved Hezekiah, he became proud. He seems to have thought he had something to do with his healing in light of all the good things he said he had done for God in the past. And he squandered the fifteen years God gave Him.

Then he died.

I guess I feel God would have us consider Who He Is, not just what He can do for us. Do we really trust Him? Do we really have faith in Him? Can we honestly pray, “Not my will, but Thine be done?”

Then it doesn’t matter if we are healed in this lifetime or in death. I believe God wants us to pray for healing:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Ephesians 4:6)

That includes physical healing. Don’t worry about it. Pray about it. Pray with thanksgiving. Present it to God.

When you present something, you don’t hold back, do you? When you present something you trust the receiver with whatever you’ve given. Can we do that with our illnesses and sin?

So pray for healing for yourself or your loved ones. Pray for the salvation of those God lays on your heart. Do what God nudges you to do, go to the doctor, eat more vegetables, take that 20 mile bike ride, spend time with that person, whatever and wherever God leads.

Pray.

Then trust Him. Leave your request at His feet. No expectations, just God. Then Paul tells us that after we present our requests to God:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 4:7)

I honestly believe that’s how we should pray for healing or anything, knowing God hears and answers our prayers. And we can have His peace knowing for sure that He will answer our prayers according to His own good will.

Stepping Between God and the People

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Psalms 105-106

These psalms recount the Exodus of the Jewish nation out of Egypt in the days of Moses, and reminds us how God moved in dramatic fashion on behalf of His obedient children. I think one amazing thing about Scripture, however, is how often we are also reminded how God moves when His children aren’t so obedient, like in these two psalms. God doesn’t sugar-coat anything. I’m thankful for that.

What stood out to me today was in 106:23,30. The Jews were living in blatant disobedience, even after God had blessed them. So God declared He would destroy them. Their disobedience made Him that angry.

But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged God to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

So God did not destroy them.

Later, as punishment for yet more disobedience, a plague broke out among the Jews.

But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped. So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.

This morning I am reminded that Jesus has done the same for me. My disobedience angers God as much as the disobedience of the Old Testament Jews angered Him. What makes me think He hasn’t considered taking me out, too?

But I have a Savior. When I sin and make God angry, Jesus steps between the Lord and me and pleads my case. One day when I stand before the Throne of Heaven, Jesus will intervene for the last time, and I will not be destroyed. He will usher me into Paradise unlike anything I have ever known in this lifetime.

Here is something else that occurs to me. While I am still on this earth, I have the privilege of being a Moses or a Phinehas, one who intervenes for my loved ones, our nation and the whole world, and for you. I can beg God like Moses did, that He would turn from His righteous anger, and give each of us another chance to obey Him.

So today I want you to know that I am praying for you. I am going to step between the Lord and you and beg Him to have mercy. Will you do the same for me?

What Have You Done To Me?

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1 Kings 17:8-24

When I think about the prophet Elijah, certain pictures come to mind: ravens, a soggy altar on fire, the starving widow, etc. Today I read about the miracle of the flour and oil in the hands of that widow. During a time of famine in the land, the little bit of flour and oil she had when she met Elijah never ran out. She had enough every day to feed herself, her son, and the prophet. Every day she was reminded of God’s power and provision. Every day she had tangible proof that God is greater than her need.

What rejoicing must have gone on in that house!

Until her son got sick and died. How quickly she seems to have turned on Elijah and, in turn Elijah’s God.

“What have you done to me?” she asked. “Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”

When God shows up, answers prayer, reveals Himself in tangible ways, it’s easy to get on board. It’s easy to believe in a good miracle-working God who meets our needs, then goes beyond to shower us with blessing after blessing.

But what happens when disaster strikes? The death of a loved one. A cancer diagnosis. The loss of a job or a relationship. What happens when we suddenly find ourselves drowning in sorrow or uncertainty?

“What have you done to me, God?”

Now, I am not assuming the widow’s question was a sin or showed lack of faith. Elijah doesn’t scold her for it. It may have been a natural question to ask considering the circumstances. We don’t know her heart.

But we know God raised her son to life again. The death of that boy gave God the opportunity to reveal that even death has no power over Him. Talk about a tangible object lesson!

So the next time trouble comes, ask. Go ahead and let God know your sorrow, your frustration, your questions. Then follow it up with, “Now, what do you want me to do about this, God? What do you want me to do, to say, to be so that You can be glorified?”

James 1 tells us to count it a joy to face trials of any kind. Read what the apostle says about that if you don’t believe me.

Paul, in Philippians 1 tells us he welcomed imprisonment because his troubles advanced the Gospel. Again, read it for yourself.

These men knew God can use the worst possible situation to pour out his greatest blessings. And, when we ask, He gives us the ability to do and be what He intends for our good, and in order to bring Him glory.

What have you done to me, God? Let’s do this!