Faith in the Father

“Be joyful always, pray continually . . .”

I Thessalonians 5:16-17 (NIV)

A man was baptized in my home town a few years ago. That’s wonderful but not something that makes national headlines. It happens all the time. However there was something that 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. 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 after year I watched him and sadly judged him by how I saw his life unfold. Just as I Thessalonians 5:16-17 instructs, I should have been “joyful always” knowing that each day I would “pray continually” for his heart to turn to Jesus.

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 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 totally 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 the 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.”

Faith in the Father. 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.”

Facing My Giant

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and

spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of

the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies

of Israel, whom you have defied.”

I Samuel 17:45 (NIV)

He was 7’1” tall and weighed 325 pounds. I was 5’8” and totally in awe – and a little unnerved – as I stood in the store by the life size cardboard cutout of Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, the famous basketball player. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have him as a bodyguard and decided instantly that he would without a doubt intimidate even the strongest and bravest of men.

I could not help but compare Shaq with a man in the Bible who, believe it or not, was much bigger: Goliath.

It is estimated from Scripture that Goliath was over 9’ tall and weighed a minimum of 650 pounds. Mercy. If you compare that with the average height for men during that time at being just a bit over 5 feet, you can appreciate how frightened they would be at just the appearance of Goliath.

In I Samuel we read that Goliath, a Philistine, had been intimidating the Israelite army day after day. And it was working. The army listened to his daily taunts and as a result, they were all too frightened to challenge the mighty giant.

Except for one – a boy named David. A belief in God’s power, a sling and a stone later, the giant came down and the rest is history.

So let me ask you something: what is your giant? What keeps you awake at night? What scares you until you can hardly breathe and steals peace from your heart day after day?

Is it a contagious illness that you have absolutely no control over and you are afraid of it's consequences to you or loved ones? Is it the threat of war all over the world or the threat of a devastating diagnosis? Could it be that one you love does not know the Lord and doesn’t seem to care or someone you love no longer loves you?

Whatever you are facing, I encourage you to switch your focus from Goliath to God. You will find, as David did, that a large faith and a small stone are a deadly combination for bringing a giant to its knees.

Father, thank you for battling my giants as I switch my focus to you and your power. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like situations in your life were so big that even God could not handle them?

• Were you focusing on the giants or on God?

Apply

• Write down the giants in your life right now that you are struggling with on separate pieces of paper.

• Then, one at a time, wad up each paper and throw it away, switching your focus from the giant to God. Thank Him for what He is going to do to handle that giant for you.

Power

• I Samuel 17:45 (NIV) “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

• II Chronicles 32:7 (NIV) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.”

• I John 4:4 (NIV) “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Do You Belong?

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.  This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

I John 2:5-6 (NIV)

When I was a freshman in high school, I was chosen to be part of a girl’s sextet in choir. That was a really big honor for me. But even more important, as a tall, skinny, very shy girl, was the fact that I now belonged. People knew me as the freshman in the sextet.

            We practiced during choir every day and after school several times in order to be the best that we could be. And because we knew that it was also important to appear as a group to the judges, we looked at several outfits and finally decided on green dotted Swiss skirts and blouses. The blouses buttoned down the front and had long sleeves with a ruffle at each wrist and a huge ruffle around the neck. All six of them.

Imagine our excitement when we got a “1” rating at districts, and continued on to state competition, where we also got a “1” rating. Top in the state in girl’s sextets!

For weeks after the contest, wherever we went at school, we were recognized as the group that got top honors at the state musical contest. And as a bonus for me, the feeling of knowing that I belonged.

We all desire to belong, don’t we? And we all DO belong – to something. Maybe we are in a card playing group or on a baseball team. Maybe we are members of a fan club for a ball team. Or maybe we are members of a group who ride horses or motorcycles every weekend. Whatever it is, we all identify with something or someone.

So let me ask you: who do you identify with? What do you belong to? Of course I’m not talking about a club or ball team but your faith. And I’m not talking about a specific church in a particular town.

I am talking about your relationship with Jesus. Because it all comes down to this: either you belong to Him or you don’t. Either people will look at you and recognize that He lives in your heart or they will look at you and see a member of a fan club or card club only.

 

Please don’t misunderstand. Belonging to a club or team is not a bad thing; we all have things that we belong to and people know us by those activities.

But most importantly is our walk with Jesus. Can people tell that we belong to Him by what we say and do?

Our Scripture in I John explains that clearly. If we obey the Lord, His love will be in us, we will know it and show it, and as a result, others will know us by our relationship with Him.

My encouragement is for each of us to show others that we belong – to Jesus.

            Father, more than anything, I want people around me to know that I belong to you. Please help me to show others your love in my walk every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

 Reflect

·         Are you recognized in your community as a member of several groups and organizations?

·         Do people around you also recognize you as a member of the family of God?

 Apply

·         Make a list of all the clubs and organizations that you are a member of in your journal.

·         Beside each one, write an example of how you can show people in that organization that you belong to the family of God.

 Power

·         I John 2:5-6 (NIV) “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

·         II Corinthians 5:15 (NIV) “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

·         Titus 1:16 (NIV) “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” 

You Are Beautiful

“. . . The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the

outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Sitting in stunned silence, along with the students and coaches, I listened to the beautiful poised self-assured student in front of us share her heart with a frankness that I had not heard before that moment. Being a sponsor for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) had given me many opportunities to be a part of high school students gathering each week at school to praise the Lord and to offer encouragement but never in all those years was I as surprised as on the day that Kay shared.

“I remember the first time I ever heard the song Beautiful by Mercy Me,” she said. “My friends and I were in the band room before school and someone randomly picked that song to play. God works in crazy ways, because that song was exactly what I needed to hear. I started to cry and my friends came up and hugged me, not knowing what was going on.”

She read part of the lyrics: “Days will come when you don’t have the strength. When all you hear is you’re not worth anything. Wondering if you ever could be loved and if they truly saw your heart, they’d see too much. You’re beautiful. You are made for so much more than all of this. You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His. You’re beautiful in His eyes.”

Kay took a deep breath and continued. “This song touches me, because it’s something I struggle to believe. I have always struggled with my self image. I never think I’m pretty enough or the right weight or build and I am always afraid that my friends will think I’m too weird. If you know me, though, I appear confident. I’m the person always there to step up and take charge and the one who makes people laugh.”

In the quiet of the room she added yet another thought:  “I think I focus so much on other people so I don’t have to deal with my own problems. It would get hard, I’d get depressed, but I would never tell anyone because I’m a leader and leaders don’t have problems – right?” I looked around the room and saw student after student nod in agreement with Kay’s revelation.

She had touched hearts as she courageously shared. And then she ended with this precious encouragement to everyone: “I was lost but I know I am not alone. YOU are not alone. People say that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. It might sound cliché but it isn’t. It is God’s own words to us . . . each of us. We ARE beautiful, just the way we are.”

We live in a world that determines value by our physical appearance or number of activities we are involved in or how athletic we are or . . . fill in the blank. And if that isn’t enough, when we feel that we don’t meet the standards of society, we cannot let anyone know our hearts but instead hurry to cover our hurt with a blanket of busy so that no one will think less of us.

God’s word in I Samuel 16:7 is completely opposite of the world’s viewpoint. He says that while people around us simply look on the superficial, He looks at the most important part of us – our hearts. And He says that we are beautiful and of great worth in His sight.

Dare to stare the world in the face as Kay did and declare “I AM beautiful, just the way you made me, God.”

Father, may I never forget that you created me and see me as beautiful inside and out. Thank you for your eyes of love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you ever feel that you have to be strong for other people and can’t voice how you are truly feeling?

• What do you think holds you back from sharing your heartaches with those closest to you?

Apply

• Talk with a prayer warrior friend and ask her to be your accountability partner.

• Make time to honestly share your feelings and conflicts with her and pray together.

Power

• I Samuel 16:7 (NIV) “. . . The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

• I Peter 3:3-4 (NIV) “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”        

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”