40 Days of Prayer - Day #23

Today's reading in my devotional "Draw the Circle" was timely.  Recounting Abraham's journey of faith where Genesis 11 tells us that he set out and literally "did not know where he was going," the author, Batterson, challenges us to embrace a new sequence of faith; Go, Set, Ready.  As a contemplative person, I have a tendency to follow the sequence of ready, set, set, set and go.  Some of my past hesitations have reminded me that if I was in a Nascar race, I would be last off the starting line as I was doing one last check of my mirrors and gauges.

Too many times I have talked myself out of taking risks.  After praying about moving to plant a church for several months, I finally prayed to God, "can I do this?"  "Am I really ready for this?"  God swiftly and clearly replied, "No, but I am."  I knew we would be moving to Omaha from that moment on.  God was ready and waiting for us to take the first step.

There is nothing wrong with being cautious and wise.  But there is a difference between that and looking for excuses.  I'm ready to see God move in my life and our church like never before.  Instead of last off the line, I need a few false starts.  Honestly, I think God would prefer that with our faith.

I don't want to come up with excuses at the end of 2013.  Rather, I am looking forward to listing miracles.  We will move to a bigger space this year.  It will stretch my faith and our church like never before.  I'm not sure where, but I'm ready to move forward.  Just as I read in Draw the Circle, "If you wait until you're ready, you'll be waiting for the rest of your life."  I'm not ready for all that God wants to do in 2013, but God is.  So let's go!

40 Days of Prayer - Day #22

I meditated on a scripture this morning out of the book of Genesis.  I considered the story of Abraham and his son Isaac.  Isaac was the son that Abraham and Sarah thought they would never have.  Needless to say, Isaac was very dear to Abraham.  But God tested Abraham to see what was most important to him.  He asked Abraham to climb a mountain and sacrifice his own son.  Unbelievable.  What great faith Abraham had to climb the mountain and even raise the blade before God intervened at the last second.  Lets face it, not many people could climb a mountain with their child to sacrifice him or her.  Even with God ordering us to do so.
As crazy as this story sounds, we have to remember how well Abraham and God knew each other.  They had an amazing connection.  Abraham was referred to in scripture as "a friend of God."  This isn't a facebook kind of friend.  No, this is a deep and meaningful relationship.  As I pondered this scripture, I was challenged to do all that I can to become a better friend of God's.  God created me with a purpose and sent his Son to die for me so that I might have life to the full in this world and the next.  God is always there for me when I need Him, and He has left me detailed instructions for life in the form of the Bible.  What is asking of me?  To devote my life to loving Him and others.  He hasn't asked me to sacrifice my son.  God has asked for my time, my heart and my talents.  My prayer is that I learn to do give them to God without hesitation.  Just as a true friend would.

40 Days of Prayer - Day #21

News about the American-Iranian Pastor being sent to prison was released yesterday morning.  Since then, I have often thought and prayed for him.  As I was enjoying freedom in all that I did yesterday, Pastor Saeed was alone in a cell surrounded by people who hated him and who he believed in.  His family is back in the states praying for him and wondering when, if ever, they will see him again.  Today I thought about the words of Paul in the book of Philippians.
"And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.  For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.  And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear." Philippians 1:14-16
This is my prayer for Pastor Saeed.  That everything that is happening to him will spread the Good News.  Also, that all the guards would hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And that all Christians in Iran would be inspired and gain confidence is speaking the truth.  If you are reading this, will you pray for this Pastor and the Gospel to be spread in the darkest corners of the world?

40 Days of Prayer - Day#17

I'll never forget a bus ride to school one morning when I was in first grade.  Most of the time, I was by myself.  But on this day, my 17 year old brother had to take the bus to school.  My brother sat towards the back of the bus with the older and cooler kids.  I had to hang out in the middle near a sixth grader who loved to pick on me.

If this sixth grader had any sense at all, he would have recognized my brother's size.  But like clockwork he began to pick.  Somewhere between home and school this menace decided to grab me by my coat.  Dumb move.  Faster than I can type this sentence, my brother had the bully on the floor of the bus and told him to never touch me again.  Yep, it was awesome.

Just like my brother had my back then, I know that God always has my back.  I'm reminded of the Israelites marching through the Red Sea on dry ground with the Egyptians hot on their tale.  God fought for them and single handedly won the battle.  When I pray for help, God with His army of angels is their to fight on my behalf.  So just as I had no reason to fear a bully 30 years ago, I don't have to fear the fights that are ahead of me.  God will fight for me!

40 Days of Prayer - Day 16

I read a quote this morning that really spoke to me.  A.W. Tozer wrote, "when you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection."  This is one of those quotes that produces a universal head nod.  There is no debating it.  We all waste time and lose track of time.  And none of us can bring it back.  

Spiritually, this is a point of focus for me this year.  I want to redeem as much of my time as possible.  To accomplish this, I have to prioritize and carve.  One doesn't work without the other.  I have to cut out things that are stealing my time.  Fasting will help with this but I also must be wise and diligent.  Just as Hebrews 6 reminds us, "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."  

2013 only has so many seconds, hours and days in it.  There are many dreams that I want to see realized this year.  And I also know that God has dreams that He hasn't even shown me yet.  I'm praying that I will redeem as much of my time this year as possible so I can see all that God has planned.

40 Days of Prayer - Day 12

Today its hard to concentrate on prayer and study.  Not surprisingly, my two year old daughter is needy.  She needs my attention, my help and my comfort.  And like most two year olds, she is persistent.  I want to help her and can stop from time to time to do so, but I do want to focus.  I need focused time of prayer and study, and I have plenty of work to do today.  Maybe doing a few things from home wasn't a great idea.

But my daughter's persistence was ironic as I read from Luke 18 today.  It's the story of the persistent window.  The widow who wouldn't leave the judge alone until he answered her cry, "Give me justice!"   Jesus used this story to teach us a valuable lesson about prayer.  Never give up!  For those who cry out "day and night," God will surely give justice.

For the prayers that I have written on my heart and in my journal, I won't give up on.  I'll keep writing, requesting.  Asking, seeking and knocking.  The heart of God is so loving and just that he won't ignore those who earnestly and passionately seek Him.  And I love that about my God!

40 Days of Prayer - Day #8

Sorry for missing yesterday's post.  I came down with a stomach bug that definitely had me praying, just didn't have the strength to journal till now.

Today in my devotional, "Draw the Circle," the author Mark Batterson reminds us that "God won't answer 100% of the prayers we don't pray."  Sounds like common sense doesn't it?  But we forget it all the time.  We hold back the really big prayers because we think, "what if God doesn't answer that?"  Or we just don't even see possible miracles because we accept things as they are.  Too many times I have been guilty of that.  Its the "it is what it is" attitude.

But God hasn't called us to accept the probable and dismiss the impossible.  If we have a relationship with our Creator and Savior, then we have no reason to hold back.  We need to embrace the words of Christ, "Ask, Seek, Knock."  Something I'm trying to do more everyday!

40 Days of Prayer - Day #6

Tonight I was sitting by the fire and thought of a song as I prayed.  The song is by Need to Breathe and it's called "Something Beautiful."  This is the chorus:

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
'Cause I just want 
Something beautiful to touch me
I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees
And waiting for 
Something beautiful.
Oh-oh... something beautiful.

The band, in an interview, stated that this song was written out of desperation.  They were hungry for inspiration and they weren't sure what "Something Beautiful" would be.  They just knew that they needed a "broken and contrite spirit" to see it and experience it.  That's about where I'm at too.  Praying that God would consume me like a fire and show me something beautiful in the process.

40 Days of Prayer - Day #5

One of the first concerts I attended was the Christian rock group Petra.  It was at Worlds of Fun one Summer with my family.  It was really hot and I remember that we sat way too close to the speakers.  I listened regularly to their album, "This Means War" while kickin' it in my stone washed jeans.  Totally awesome, huh?  At least I'm not reminiscing about Stryper.

Petra wasn't the most musically gifted band.  But they were probably the most passionate and had great messages in their lyrics.  I still love the song "More Power to You," but as I was praying this morning I remembered their hit, "Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man."  Although it wasn't exactly inclusive for today's standards, it was memorable.  I thought of it today after my devotion as I kneeled to pray in our living room.  Simply, I thought, "I need to pray till my knees hurt."

I don't have the best knees.  I've injured both in the past and now one is surgically repaired.  But kneeling before God is a symbol of surrender.  And everyday in 2013 I want to surrender to God.  I want God to have all of me so I can experience all of his plans for my life and His church.  Whether this is what Petra meant in their song or not, I can't say.  But I know that the spiritual fight for my family and God's future will require some jeans that have worn out knees - stone washed or not.

40 Days of Prayer - Day #4

I don't have to look far to see what to pray for today.  My little girl is sick for the second day.  Not serious.  When she first came down with this, I prayed over her for a few moments, but soon I accepted that it just needed to take its course.  Take her to the doctor, get the meds and help her rest.

Nothing wrong with taking meds to get better or going to the doctor (unless you ask my wife, who was there for over 2 hours yesterday).  But as person of faith I am recognizing that there are too many times where I don't let God have the opportunity to help, heal and perform the miraculous.  I want my daughter to be well and will take her to the doctor and get her the meds she needs, but I still need to pray fervently for God's help and healing touch.

There are lots of little things that I try to carry myself or try to find a fix for outside of God.  But I know I miss out on seeing a lot of little miracles because of that.  Psalm 55:22 reminds us to "Cast all your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you."  God wants to sustain, heal, fix and carry our toughest situations for us.  But that really only happens if we let Him.  So this year I want to pray for the little things, big things and everything in between so I can look back count the many little and big miracles God was able to do.

40 Days - Day #3

Today's scripture reading reminded me that everyone has favorites.  We have our favorite foods, favorite hobbies, favorite clothing, and even favorite prayers.  I love to pray.  I never do it enough, but time with God is refreshing and life changing.  Connecting with my Creator, who loves me and listens to my every word, is something scripture reminds us is crucial to our relationship with God.  Even more, we are given great ideas and examples on how to pray throughout the Old and New Testament.  

1 Timothy 2:1 tells us, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."  I love it when the Apostle Paul is so specific.  He tells us to pray for "all people."  Not just our favorite people or the people that really like us - all people.  Reflecting on this today has made me realize that this is one of the many places that I need to stretch. 

We all have relationships that are a little strained.  And we all have people who we see or think about that really don't make us jump for joy.  We all have our biases and that keeps us from interceding for certain people.  But I want that to change.  I want to extend love through prayer to all that I can.  The people I see, bump into or interact with.  No limits.  

This includes the lady who came in three times to McDonalds last Friday and complained about the McRib staining her sweater.  It includes those who have hurt me and those who aren't my friends on Facebook.  It even includes Mizzou fans.  That last sentence was tough to type.  

Prayer is powerful.  Its our way to reach up to Heaven and connect with a God who is determined to connect with us.  When I tell someone that I'm praying for them, I always get a positive reaction - whether they are a believer or not.  Because everyone hopes that God cares, which is why I need to pray for all that I can!

40 Days - Day #2

I've been getting in trouble lately.  Over the past few evenings, my wife and I have enjoyed watching the tv show "Psych."  Very funny detective show.  I'm getting in trouble though because I'm laughing so loud that its waking up my kids.  I know its inconvenient, but who doesn't love to laugh?

I relish the opportunity to laugh with a good book or movie or to hear a funny story.  Remember the last time you laughed until you cried?  Or maybe laughed till you did something else (thankfully thats not happened to me)?  Good times, right?  I remember going to the movies to see "Dumb and Dumber" and having a blast laughing out loud with a crowded theatre.  But next to me was my friend from college who was with his new girlfriend.  She was a little uptight and wasn't enjoying it.  Neither was he.  I couldn't believe that he wasn't rolling in the aisle with me.  But I didn't care.  I wasn't going to let them steal my joy and laughter.

When I was thinking about this last night, I remembered Paul's words from Philippians 4 which say, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  And again I say rejoice."  He wrote those words from prison.  If Paul can smile and rejoice in prison, how much more should I do so in my life?  This year, my prayer is to smile, rejoice and laugh more than ever.  No matter what the situation or trial, I know that I have reason to smile.  Even more, I want to help others find the Reason for life and a lasting purpose that will give them never ending joy.

40 Days of Prayer - Day #1

Very excited to begin the new year with a 40 Day Prayer Challenge.  Our church is studying the book of Hebrews together and reading the book "Draw the Circle" by Mark Batterson.  We are all looking forward to what God will do in us and through us as we take time to focus, pray and listen.

I have a lot of things that I want to pray over during these 40 days: my family, our church, my neighborhood, miracles, divine appointments and more.  But I wanted to start the journey with a blank slate and see what God is trying to do first.

Today is my day off so there's little to keep me from spending time talking and listening - other than my two year old who keeps handing me maracas and asking me to dance.  Man am I glad that only she saw my dance.  Yikes.

My first prayer time in this journey led me to one word - "new".  Scripture is full of references to this word.  In Revelation 21:5, we hear the promise, "I will make all things new."  And in Isaiah 43:9, "Behold, I am about to do a new thing."  Then there is one of my favorites from the book of 2 Corinthians - "If anyone is in Christ, they are a New Creation; the old has gone and the new has come."

God is determined to do new things in us.  To wipe away the old and usher in the new.  My prayer is that I would not cling to the old, but open my mind, heart and hands for the new works that he wants to do in my family, His church and my life.  Sometimes new is exciting while other times it can really stretch us.  Whatever the case, I look forward to the new things that God will do in 2013!