My Attitude in Prayer

                        “Be joyful always, pray continually . . .” I Thessalonians 5:16-17 (NIV)

    A man was baptized in my hometown a few years ago. That’s wonderful but not something that makes national headlines. It happens all the time. However, something made this baptism different: this was a man I had spent the last 20 years praying for almost every day.

    But I confess that even though I prayed for his salvation, I wasn’t convinced it would happen. Why? Because I saw him and his actions on the outside and I judged him.  I never stopped to consider that God was doing a mighty work on the inside, on this man’s heart. Shame on me.

    Year after year I watched him and prayed but also judged him by how I saw his life unfold. According to I Thessalonians 5:16-17 instructs, I should have been “joyful always” knowing that I  would “pray continually” for his heart to turn to Jesus each day and God is faithful to answer. 

    Instead, I was judgmental and prideful during my prayer time. I didn’t speak these comments out loud but my thought life did: “Wow, God. He isn’t going to turn to you, is he?” or “I’m not sure even you can change the heart of concrete that man has, God.” And then there is this one: “So many are praying for him, Lord. Why isn’t he changing?”

    I tell you that, to share this: we may not see with our physical eyes changes going on in the lives of the people we are praying for but God is working on the inside to guide and direct them to His mercy and forgiveness, and grace.

    We have no idea the battle that is being waged on the inside for anyone’s heart and life nor do we know the plans that God is putting in place as He fights for His children and their salvation.

    But He tells us to pray continually for a reason: because He, Jesus, has never once stopped interceding for us before the Father. If He never stops, why should we? I should have been trusting God to work in this man’s life and heart but instead, I was judging what I could see with my physical and not spiritual eyes.

    Can I just open up to you and say that there are loved ones in my family that I have prayed for, off and on, for years and I would hate to think that someone was praying for them with the same attitude that I had as I prayed for this man. Do you agree?

    So I have an idea: let’s all resolve to have an attitude of joyfulness as we lift up people all around us who do not have a face-to-face relationship with Jesus. Instead of praying “He probably won’t ever change, Lord” let’s instead pray “I am excited for the day that he turns his heart over to you, Lord.”

    My attitude in prayer. That’s what it comes down to—being joyful as we trust Jesus to speak truth to those around us. It’s not our job to judge if someone is changing inside. Our job is to pray continually, joyfully, hopefully. His job is to change hearts.

   Father, forgive me for using my physical eyes and not my spiritual eyes when praying for your children. Help me to trust you in all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever prayed for someone for months or even years and felt like your prayers were not being answered?

• Were you trusting the Lord and praying joyfully and continuously or did you give up and stop praying?

Apply

• Journal the names of people that you have prayed over for a long time – months or years.

• Beside each one write “I will joyfully and continually pray for you.” Then make sure to continue praying for them.

 Power

•  I Thessalonians 5:16-17 (NIV) “Be joyful always, pray continually . . .”

• Romans 10:1 (NIV) “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

•  II Peter 3:9 (NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Praising As I Wait

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are  my ways higher than your  ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

     Have you ever gotten one of “those” Christmas letters? You know the ones I’m talking about. You read that Johnny has made all A’s  from kindergarten through high school – without taking one book home - and has lettered in football, basketball, track, and golf.  Sally is first in her graduating class at Harvard and has the awful task of deciding which six-figure job offer to accept. Mom and Dad moved from a 3,000 to a 5,000-square-foot home because they needed more room. And a movie producer accidentally bumped into them on the street and wants to make a film about their lives.

    In all fairness, I haven’t gotten a Christmas letter quite like that. (Sally actually graduated from Yale.) And I have some bragging rights, too. I won a plastic dog bowl in a dog food contest when I was in middle school. Unfortunately, my dog ate the bowl.  I hate to admit this but what used to bother me more than anything were not the people and the triumphs they shared in a Christmas letter. 

    What I struggled with were the praises that my Christian friends shared. Praises like “I prayed for a dear neighbor for a week and then he repented and is living for the Lord.” (I have prayed for people I care about for 20 years and they refuse to consider Jesus.) Or “We had no money for food and prayed about it and when we came home, there were bags of groceries on our doorstep.” (We prayed about no food on our table and ended up with peanut butter sandwiches and carrot sticks for two weeks.)

    Please understand. I am excited for my friends and I praise God for the answers to prayer that they have received. It is just that, every so often, I long to be able to share a prayer answered in the same way they have experienced. But with that longing comes a warning. 

    If we are not on guard, the enemy will creep into our hearts, smothering us with envy and resentment as he whispers “Maybe you aren’t spiritual enough or maybe you don’t have enough faith.” and we will begin to doubt our Father’s plan for our lives and question whether He really does care about all of us when we call on Him with our prayer requests.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

    In Isaiah 55:8-9, God clearly tells us that we do not know His thoughts or ways; it is not for us to judge why some prayers are answered more quickly than others. We see everything around us from the perspective of a human, rather than the Creator of the Universe who loves us totally and completely sees and knows everything. Everything. 

    Because my prayers are not always answered immediately in my timing, I have learned to dig deeper into God’s Word as I wait. I have learned patience and complete reliance on Him. I have learned to trust Him to keep His Word to me and I have also learned that I can approach Him with confidence as I ask Him to help me with my every need.

    Winning a dog food contest isn’t worthy of praise in a Christmas letter. But I will praise the Lord with all my heart for the answered prayers of my friends and I will trust Him to answer my prayers, too - in His time. 

     Father, thank you for answered prayer. Please help me to remember you will answer my requests in your perfect timing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like everybody else’s prayers were being answered immediately but your prayers were not? 

• Were you happy for those people or did you feel a bit of envy? Explain.

 Apply

• Keep a journal with each prayer request and the date you began praying for that person or situation. Praise the Lord for His answers in His time. 

• Look up Scriptures of encouragement to write down beside each request.

Power 

• Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”

• Job 37:5 (NIV) “God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.”

• Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 

 

The One He Loves

 “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” 

John 11:3 (NIV)

       When my oldest grandson Noah was a little guy, I always told him his name was really “best boy in the whole world.” He would call me on the phone and when I heard that sweet voice say “Hi Grandma,” I would immediately put on my gruffest sounding voice and say “Who is this?!” and he would giggle “It’s your best boy in the whole world!” and I would respond with “Oh, this must be Noah!”

    To this day, many years later, when he calls and I question who it is on the phone, he responds with the same answer - “best boy in the whole world” – because he knows my special name for him.

    In the Scripture found in John 11, Lazarus has become ill and his sisters Martha and Mary immediately send word to Jesus. Their message is not “Lazarus is sick” or “our brother is sick” but rather “the one you love” is sick. Jesus constantly had many different people around him and yet He knew exactly who “the one you love” was.

    In the same way, Jesus knows each of us personally. When I call His name, He is quick to acknowledge me as His child and to listen to my requests. Just knowing I have that kind of close personal relationship with Him makes me stand up straighter and smile bigger. Because He knows me by name, He will also be faithful in hearing and answering when I call.

    What are you going through right now? A marriage in crisis or a spouse that has passed away? A child who has turned his back on those who love him? A serious illness? Do you feel completely alone and wonder if the Lord even knows who you are?

    Let me be the first to assure you that yes, God not only knows what you are going through but He knows you personally. There is no doubt that when you call His name, He immediately says “I am here, my child, the one I love.” Call on Jesus with complete confidence in knowing He hears, He answers and He knows you by name. 

    Father, thank you with all my heart for loving me as your child, for knowing my name among millions, and for listening and answering when I call. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt that when you pray, God does not really hear you or even know who you are among the billions in the world?

• Why do you think you have felt that way?

 Apply

• Journal Exodus 33:17 from the power verses today. Put your name in place of “Moses” and rewrite the Scripture

• Thank the Lord for knowing you by name.

Power 

• John 11:3 (NIV) “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’”

• Isaiah 43:1 (NIV) “But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

• Exodus 33:17 (NIV) “And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

 

God Had A Different Plan

 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

     My afternoon was perfectly planned. My list was written down and as each errand was completed, I scratched it off with a giant check mark. Nothing could stop me as I raced through what I needed to get done for the day – and my list – to be completed. One more stop and then I could hurry home, to make more lists and repeat the same routine the next day. Oh, but God had a different plan.

    I grabbed my one item at the grocery store – my last stop – and impatiently looked over the checkout lines until I saw the shortest one and made my way toward Aisle 2 as quickly as I could. That’s when I saw him. 

    He was a former student of mine who was always respectful and polite but also one that I knew struggled on the edge between good and not-so-good choices. He had been on my mind several times but I had not seen him for months. I instantly felt the Lord nudge me.

    Suddenly my plan to finish my list and rush to get home no longer mattered. I gave him a smile and a hug when he looked my way and asked how he was doing. He muttered a noncommittal answer but waited until I got checked out to walk outside with me. 

    As we walked, he told me the latest in his life. My heart wanted to cry as he shared the trouble he had gotten into and what he was doing now. After a few minutes we said our goodbyes but not before I told him that I loved him and was praying for him. He shrugged at the prayer comment but smiled and said “Love you, too.”

    How wise are the words in Proverbs 19:21. We plan every single minute of our lives, from the second we get up until we go to bed and even then we lay there, planning our list for the next day.  It’s as if we are afraid to stop, take a deep breath, and simply allow the Lord to direct our tomorrow.

    I could have waved, said “hi” and hurried on so my plan would not have been altered. But I believe that God is sovereign over our lives and that His plan that day was designed to include a meeting with my student on Aisle 2.

    My heart cries when I think of all the opportunities the Lord has placed in my path and my “not your plan but mine” attitude that has kept me from simply encouraging one of His children. 

    My encouragement for us all is that we never get so busy being busy with our plans that we ignore God’s plan for us to show His love to those who are hurting and searching. Even on Aisle 2 in a grocery store. 

    Father, may your plan be my plan every day. I do not want to miss your direction and will for my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you seen someone and felt that you needed to talk to them but didn’t take the time to do that?

•  If you didn’t talk with them, why not? Did you have a plan of your own that you thought you needed to complete?

Apply

• Make a list of everything that you feel you need to accomplish for one day.

•  Beside each of those items, write down the worst thing that can happen if you choose to share Jesus instead of completing those things on your list.

Power

• Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

• I Timothy 2:1 (NIV) “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone . . .”

•  Proverbs 16:33 (NIV) “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Putting gods Before God

                                “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 (NIV)

   A glance at the clock, as I sat down and opened my Bible for much-needed moments with the Lord, showed almost 8 am – more than enough time to dig in His Word before I met a friend for lunch. I looked at the curtains pulled across my glass doors to the deck. “I’ll pull them open,” I thought. “Much nicer to see God’s creation during prayer time.”

   And the view was better . . . except for the hand prints on the glass. Several sprays of Windex and swipes with paper towels cleaned up my view even more. As I turned to go back to my quiet time, I noticed a cob web. “Good grief! What if someone came to visit and saw that thing hanging down!” my mind winced. It didn’t take long to remove the offending web but it had friends in the corners of my living room so as long as I was getting rid of one, I decided to clean the rest of the room.

  I sat down and picked up my Bible and realized I didn’t have a pen or paper to take notes. As I scooped up a pad of paper on my computer desk, it occurred to me that I hadn’t wished my friends “happy birthday” on Facebook so I took just a few minutes to get that done.

   I found a pen in a drawer by the kitchen sink but I also noticed all the dirty dishes so I rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. As I sat back down in my chair, I again glanced at the clock and was shocked to see that over two hours had passed since I first opened my Bible for prayer time!

   What was more important than a face to face, intimate conversation with God my Father? Clean glass doors and no cobwebs and a loaded dishwasher. I put household chores before the Creator of the Universe. God was not my first priority of the day. To be honest, He wasn’t my first priority at all.

   As I sat in silence, one of the Ten Commandments spoke to my heart. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. Surely household chores or getting on Facebook aren’t gods? They are simply things that need to be done . . .right? Sure . . . unless. Unless I allow them to take first place in my life.

   Now, just to be clear, I know we all have those days when a daughter is throwing up, a son can’t find his shoe and the bus is coming, and the washer is broken  – all BEFORE 8 am. And our only prayer is “Get me through the next five minutes, Lord!” Believe me, I get it.

   But if we are continually putting daily activities before the Lord, they have indeed become idols – in other words, gods – because they have taken His place of importance in our lives. My encouragement for all of us today - and every day - is to do a daily heart check. Are there any “gods” in your life moving up your priority list each day as your time with the Lord moves down?

   If so, decide today – this minute – to re-evaluate what holds first place in your life. If it’s your time with the Creator, fantastic! If it isn’t, see what you can change to make sure you are never putting gods before God.

   Lord,  I want you to have first place in my life. Please show me those things I need to rearrange so I can spend time with you daily. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Look over your last few weeks of being in the Word and having prayer time with the Lord. 

• How many times have you put activities before Him?

Apply

• Before bed, make a “to do” list for the next day. 

• Rearrange activities to make time with the Lord a priority.

Power 

• Exodus 20:3 (NIV) “You shall have no other gods before me.”

• Proverbs 3:6 (NIV) “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

• Matthew 26:40 (NIV) “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.”