God sings over you!

Happy Monday, pray-ers. As we kick off another work week, I'd like to remind you of one of God's sweetest promises. This comes at a dark and frightening time for much of the world with the people of Japan struggling to survive amid continuous aftershocks and tsunami threats. The instability affects the entire world economically, environmentally, and physically.

Your situation might not be as newsworthy as a tsunami or a 9.0 earthquake and it might not impact tens of thousands, but it might feel just as terrifying to you. Each life is valuable to God. Each person's trauma breaks His heart. As you read the following Scripture and the prayer that follows, take time to meditate on it. Allow His promise to soak into your heart and change your outlook.

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your promises. Please save us. Show us how you delight in us and rejoice over us. We need the quiet that comes only from you. Draw us close in these unsettling days. May we return your love and faithfulness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying for you all,
Shelley

Carol's Prayer Challenge Results - Pray Daily



Prayer brings peace and quietness of heart

 
"The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
      Philippians 4: 5-7

February was a month of anxiety for me.  My prayers were short and lacked the intimacy needed to really put my mind at peace.  By the end of the month I was quite sick, asthma is affected by stress and worry, and I was in full-swing with my lungs bearing the weight of my worry.  I didn't realize that worry was the cause for my lack of oxygen until Shelley and I joined in prayer and ask the Lord for insight into my breathing issues.  I must say at this point, I am convinced that Satan is alive and working hard to stress believers to their maximum capacity and keep them distracted from their personal time with God.  But we have a powerful weapon against worry and distraction, the Word. 

Romans 8:28 tells us that God uses all things in a believers life to work together for good.  We know and can be sure that what Satan intends to use for evil, God redeems by utilizing our struggles to cause growth and dependence upon Him.   2 Corinthians 4: 7-8 says, We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  Our assurance from Philippians is that when we take our needs to God and sit in His presence, the peace which surpasses all understanding will faithfully fall from heaven so we can resume our lives with the knowledge that God loves us and has heard our prayers. 

This month, my list of prayer needs has grown tremendously as I add those in need of healing from spiritual and emotional bondage, drug and alcohol addictions, and physical needs.  God is faithful and no amount of worrying that I indulge in will affect any of those things; only by prayer will my burden be lifted and lives healed.  Do not bear your burdens alone, the Lord is near.  Reach out to the Heavenly Father for your peace and hope, reach out for a needy world, reach out for yourself. 

May the peace of God fill your hearts and minds in Chris Jesus. 
Blessings,
Carol

February challenge results - Pray daily

Happy Monday, dear readers. It's nearly the middle of March, and we're about to finish our segment on praying The Lord's Prayer. We were ambitious in scheduling such an important and rich piece of Scripture to one month. As we know, all Scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), but the Lord's Prayer quite literally came from His mouth. It deserves more attention than I normally give it.

Our challenge this month was to pray daily. How did that go for you? Remember, we're still using prayer journals, and this is a very effective way to record each prayer and how God answers it. Adding a daily prayer seems like a small task compared to the prayer journal, doesn't it?

I found in my own effort to take on this challenge that praying daily does SEEM like a small task. What an arrogant creature I am. <half laughing> Prayer should never be a small thing. We should never approach the throne of the Almighty God as if we deserve access. We are allowed there because He loves us and desires a relationship with us.

As a mom with two toddlers, much of my praying seems to happen on the fly. Changing diapers, making cereal or sandwiches, grocery shopping, endless errands - it all gets lumped together and my prayers often go up while I do those things. The Bible says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but it also talks about being reverent. Jesus Himself showed reverence. "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission" (Hebrews 5:7). We're also told in 1 Peter 1:17 to live out our time on earth in reverent fear of the Father who judges each person's work impartially.

Do I show reverence in my prayer life?

It means a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe (definition courtesy of dictionary.com). I'm afraid I run before the throne of grace in a hurry, toss my petitions before Him, perhaps bow once if I remember, and rush out to accomplish the next task on my list. My own challenge has become to go before Him with a feeling and an attitude of deep respect tinged with awe. To show reverence, and to be thankful that He asked me to come in at all.

How did this month's challenge go for you? Let us know in the comment section or in an email to elohimprayer@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Praying for you today,
Shelley

Tempting or testing?

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:13

The final section of the Lord's Prayer seems to imply that God would indeed tempt us. As we pray these words, our understanding of the word 'temptation' conflicts with our understanding of God's nature.

The Bible says God is our Creator (Genesis 1:27, 2:7). He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving and just (Exodus 34:6, 7). Jesus called God "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). Nowhere does it say God is a tempter. That distinction is left for Satan.

While God will not tempt us, He will test us. "The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether or not you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 13:3). King David understood this. He prayed at the beginning of the building of the temple for the Lord, "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity" (1 Chronicles 29:17).

So God will not lead us into temptation, but He will allow us to be tested. Indeed, He is often the One testing us.

These tests are meant to strengthen us, but Satan often tries to use them as a doorway to temptation. After Jesus' baptism, as He walked in the wilderness for forty days, "The tempter came to Him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread'" (Matthew 4:3). Our Lord was tempted by the evil one, and so will we be tempted. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Satan's strategies include suspicion, envy, jealousy, resentment, judgment, and all things that are against God. His most subtle tool is to trick us into believing God is not all that He says He is - that He does not have all the power, and He does not want to give us every good thing.

The other important thing to note in this piece of the Lord's Prayer is that Jesus was specific about the evil one. He didn't pray, "Deliver us from evil." That overall thought is certainly captured in the words, but Jesus pointed to an actual being. There is one who embodies evil. He is a thief, coming only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus teaches us to pray against this evil one, and to trust that God will deliver us from him and his tricks.

We'll be talking about our monthly challenge results in the next post or two. Stay tuned for that. Also come back for a day where we focus on praying the Lord's Prayer as a community of believers. There is unspeakable power when we gather for prayer. Let's come together and experience it!

Father God, thank you for your Word. Thank you for sending your Son into the world to be the light and our salvation. Please continue to speak to us through your word and through your Spirit. We pray that when the time of testing comes, we would not become tempted. Rescue us from the evil one and help us to trust you in all things. Amen.

Praying a blessing over you,
Shelley

The Provisions of God

"Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.  For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."  Matthew 6: 11, 14 - 15

These verses of the Lord's prayer speak to us about total dependency upon God.  Whether it is for physical or spiritual nourishment we are totally dependent upon God for our sustenance each day.  Can we feed our physical bodies without the God-given provisions of earth, seed or rain?  Can we sustain a Spirit-filled life without our Lord first providing the way and revealing himself to us?? 

Our Lord's gracious presence is available daily; we have only to ask him for our needs to be filled.  The Israelites received manna from heaven while wandering in the desert; we too can ask for and receive the Lords daily provisions.  Trust and believe that your God will provide when you ask and trust his work on your behalf.  

Pondering this verse brings about questions of why there are those who have their needs met and those who go hungry or are homeless.  When considering all scriptural instructions given to believers we might interpret this verse to mean, "Give us this day our daily bread so that we can share with other who are in need."  (Matthew 25: 35-40)  Jesus instructed believers to care for the poor, widows and orphans by sharing the provisions He has given to us.  Believers are to show and lead the poor, oppressed, and unbelieving world to the Lords love and compassion so that they can know and depend on him themselves.  This is our privilege and our duty. 

As we move on to the Lords' words regarding forgiveness we bring along our dependency on God.  Jesus instructs us to ask for the forgiveness of our debts AS we also forgive those who are indebted to us.  Many scholars and translators interpret this verse to mean, 'forgive us our sin as we forgive those who sin against us'.  This verse is very humbling to Christians and keeps us from believing that because we know the Father we are entitled to believe that we are better than others.  We do not have the right to hold on to grievances we have with others because they don't "deserve" forgiveness or that we can keep someone coming back over and over to ask for forgiveness.  Jesus very clearly instructs us that as we are willing to practice forgiveness then we will be forgiven.  (Psalm 24: 1-6)

Jesus displayed true forgiveness to us when on the cross he prayed for his persecutors by asking the Father to forgive them.  (Luke 23: 34) Do we dare hold on to grievances with others when our Lord chose to forgive those who crucified him?  Our acceptance of Gods' work to reconcile us to him by Christs death on the cross is the provision that allows us to approach him.  We can approach God in the righteousness of Christ because He provided the way for us to come to him forgiven and free of our debt of sin.  (2 Corinthians 5: 18-21)

Our God is immense and full of light.  Let's ask the Lord to provide our daily needs and forgive us of our unholy ways.  Let's ask the Lord to help us see where we need to forgive and ask him to forgive us for holding on to grievances rather than act with compassion toward a world without hope.

Father - we seek you for our needs today.  Help us to embrace you with our whole heart.  We want to know and give forgiveness from you.  Help us to acknowledge our dependence on you and share with others the hope that only comes from our relationship with you. 

Blessings in your walk,
Carol

Bringing His Kingdom

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Darrell W. Johnson, in his book Fifty Seven Words that Change the World, says this section of the Lord's Prayer, "is one of, if not the most radical things a human being can do."

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray this, they were starving for revolution. Rome ruled and did so with deadly force. The spiritual climate of the day was lukewarm. People felt the very real need for political change, as well as religious freedom and revival. Sounds much like the world we live in now, doesn't it? On the surface, these words sound like a prayer for temporal, or earthly, relief. In some ways, that's true.

To pray God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven is to pray that His perfect will be done. We often don't realize all that encompasses. And we fail to recognize the upheaval that must take place to bring His will and His kingdom on earth - both in our personal lives and in world events. Think about the change you must make in your daily life to give in completely and live God's perfect will.

A little uncomfortable? Radical? Does it take a truckload of trust to obey God's perfect will? It does for me.

When we pray for His kingdom to come, we must recognize that it is partially here in the form of believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit ushers in His kingdom, and when we accept the Holy Spirit into our lives WE usher in the kingdom. Jesus' return is still to come, so we pray, "Your kingdom come." We're asking Jesus to come back! Even so, Lord Jesus, come.

We'll be finishing up the Lord's Prayer in the next few posts. Don't forget this month's challenge to pray daily, and don't forget to use your prayer journal! We'll talk about that in a few days, too.

Lord Jesus, we pray for your kingdom to be evident in us as we interact with the world. We ask that You would shine through us so everyone would know Your love and grace. Please help us live Your will, Father God. On earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' holy Name we pray, Amen.

Blessings on you today,
Shelley

Hallowed Be Your Name

        
 "Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name"       Matthew 6:9



 What does it mean for the name of God to be  "hallowed"?  


To hallow means to consecrate or set apart as holy.  Have you ever noticed that there are many references in scripture that provide descriptive traits of God?  "Father" is a term most of us are familiar with, but let's consider a few more traits of God that give reason for his name to be hallowed. 


In Exodus 3, God describes himself to Moses as "I Am Who I Am" or in another translation "I Will Be Who I Will Be" which the translator interpreted to mean "My nature will become evident through my actions".   God reveals aspects of His Character to us through a myriad of lifetime situations and intimate relationship with believers. 


Further in Exodus, God describes himself to Moses using more concrete terms.  In Exodus 34, God describes himself as a 'compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin'.   Who do you know that you could ascribe these characteristics continuously, every day, every week, every year?    


In Luke 1, Mary and Zechariah refer to God as Savior who has brought salvation to them, referring to the near future birth of "The Savior" Jesus Christ.  Romans 10 says that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Saved from what?  Eternal separation from God. 


Our God is robed in a nature higher than that of the best human.  He is consistent in the face of evil, faithful to the end of time, cares about the weak, poor, and oppressed, always judges with objectivity according to his laws, always forgives, and always perseveres with humanity to salvation.  He deserves a place of consecration above all others who offer some form of salvation yet come and go on the screen of history.  God is creator, they the created.  God is generous, they receive from him.  God is savior, they granted salvation. 


His name is higher than any other!  


Father God - show us what it means to cradle your name in a holy place in our lives.  We lift your name up in the sea of those who desire to be equal to you by offering their plans of salvation.  Only you can truly provide salvation from the sin that binds us.  Show us your character through our times of prayer and through the situations that crop up each day.   Teach us to consecrate your name as holy. 


May you be blessed by lifting up the name of our God.
Carol