God Understands My Prayers

 “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”

Psalm 66:20 (NIV)

  Everyone takes turns praying at mealtime in my daughter’s home. And that includes the youngest – but only after he declared one day that he was “old nuf” to pray. So with all heads bowed, two-year-old Jude put his hands together and took a deep breath:

  “Loh-dur-lawd-hop-yur-ha-da-gur-da. Amen.”

  He opened his eyes and smiled in triumph at his first mealtime prayer and everyone smiled back. But no one understood a word he said. Except Jude. He knew exactly what he had prayed. A few days later before supper, it was Jude’s turn again. Excitedly he bowed his head and closed his eyes as, once again, he lifted up his prayer: “Loh-dur-lawd-hop-yur-ha-da-gur-da. Amen.”

  This went on for several days with everyone listening still unable to figure out what Jude was saying. Finally, his dad could not resist any longer. “I couldn’t quite understand what you said, Son,” he told Jude. “Can you slow your prayer down just a little so I can hear it better?” Jude was happy to oblige: “Hello there, Lord, hope you had a good day.”

  Can I get an amen?

  Even though his family couldn’t understand Jude, I am sure God knew exactly what he had said and His day was made better by that heartfelt prayer from a two-year-old boy. 

  I wonder if the writer of Psalm 66:20 had offered more than one prayer up to the Lord but felt like it just didn’t make any sense or that he hadn’t uttered the right words. And, more importantly, have you ever felt that way?

  On any given day I search for words and lose my train of thought and fumble and mumble as I talk to the Lord. I pray with anger and resentment and a judgmental attitude hidden in a corner of my heart (or at least I think it’s hidden) and have to repent and start over.

   I cannot count the number of times that I have brought a list of “wants” into my prayer closet and never even stopped to listen to God the Father sharing His love and will with me. And, please forgive me, but I have even prayed in a group and wondered if my words would be accepted by those with me.

  And yet, according to Psalm 66:20, God doesn’t reject our prayers or stop loving us just because what we say is not picture-perfect or acceptable to those around us. If God heard and answered prayers based on words being “perfect” we would all be in a lot of trouble.

  This very minute, let us all praise God for loving us as we are and for listening to our prayers lifted to Him. He understands us, even when we don’t understand ourselves. And I’m with Jude: “Hello there, Lord, hope you had a good day.”

  Father, I praise you for hearing my sometimes feeble attempts at prayer and for loving me, even when I struggle with my words. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like your prayers weren’t “good enough” for God?

• Have you thought that if you prayed “perfectly,” God would love you more?

Apply

• Begin your prayer time with praise to the Lord for His unconditional love and mercy.

• Pray your words from your heart; then be still and listen for His answer to you.

Power 

• Psalm 66:20 (NIV) “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” 

• Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV) “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

• Romans 8:26 (NIV) “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

We Have An Automatic Win

 “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

   We did not have a strategy for picking sides for our baseball games every day at recess in elementary school because our teacher randomly picked two people to be captains and they chose their team members. But our hope at recess was simple: to be on Johnny’s team. We called him “Johnny 3T” because he was tall, talented, and tough. Everybody wanted Johnny.  If you were lucky enough to be chosen on his team, you didn’t lose – ever. You were never concerned about the opposition . . . because you had Johnny.

  He would walk up to home plate, raise his bat over his shoulder, and the infield AND outfield would automatically move back several steps. Sometimes he would point to the spot where he intended to hit the ball, not in arrogance but in confidence. The outfielder in that area would immediately punch his fist into his glove and try to get ready as Johnny hit the ball but it never mattered. Having Johnny on your team was an automatic win.

  We had confidence in Johnny when we played baseball as little kids but it is nothing compared to the confidence we should have in the power of our Heavenly Father.  Paul asks a question in Romans 8:31-32 that honestly does not need an answer. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Think about it. Can you name one single thing in your life that is more powerful than the Lord? That can overpower Him or beat Him no matter what He does?

  Let’s see. A pile of unpaid bills and no money in the bank? A prodigal child you haven’t heard from for months? The fear of failure? A marriage that is on the edge? A friend who now seems more like an enemy? Your boss who is a bully? A life-threatening disease?

  God, who is for us, will never ever be overpowered by anything or anyone. Nothing, absolutely nothing can stand against Him. Not Satan. Not demons. Not a single situation this world throws at us. We do not need a strategy or luck to get the Lord to be on our “team” because He has already chosen us, as His children, to be on His. 

   Go before Him with confidence in knowing that He loves us, He hears us, He knows exactly what we need and He will answer because He is faithful. God is for us, my friends. I would consider that an automatic win.

   Father, thank you for standing for me against those situations in life that threaten me every day. You are faithful in all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever believed that you had situations in your life that God just couldn’t take care of for you?

• Did you try to fix them on your own? Were you successful?

Apply

• Write down in your journal the battles that you are facing in your life today.

• Beside each one, write down Scripture that reminds you of God’s promises to be with you throughout everything you are facing.

Power  

• Romans 8:31-32 (NIV) “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

• Psalm 108:6 (NIV) “Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.”

• Psalm 27:1 (NIV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

For Future Generations

 “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth….We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord; his power and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”

Psalm 78:1, 4, 6 (NIV)

 

  John Atkinson, my granddad, passed away on September 7, 1979. I remember exactly where I was standing when I got the phone call and the instant sadness that filled my heart. He was a man of integrity and honor, laughter and love, and a huge part of my life.

  I remember hugging him and loving the scent of mothballs and Old Spice as he wrapped his arms around me and my siblings and asked “Well, fellers, how are you doing?” His home was never without a candy bowl in the living room full of white mints with a soft green jelly in the center.

   Grandmother would only let us have one mint but Granddad always sneaked more to us when she wasn’t looking. He became my hero and I became his biggest fan for life when he defended my refusal to try Grandmother's oyster soup. I gagged at the thought of eating it and he gagged at me gagging. 

  But one of the things I remember most was his love of the Bible. One particular conversation has stayed with me all these years. We were talking about reading the Scriptures and I mentioned that it was hard for me to get interested in them. “Too many thee’s and thou’s,” I told him. “Is reading the Bible really that important?”

   He reached over and picked up his well-worn leather Bible on the table by his chair. “I’ve read it completely through three times so far,” he quietly commented “and I find something new and fresh every time. Our hope for tomorrow is in this book, Nancy. Never forget that.”

   “Never forget that.” I didn’t . . . all because my granddad took the time to share story after story from the Word and then explain how it related to me. Jonah and the whale taught me about obedience. David and Goliath gave me courage. An empty tomb gave a little girl a big hope in her Savior.

  What happens when we do not share God’s Word with our children and grandchildren? We are told in Judges 2:19 that after Joshua and his generation had died, another generation grew up who did not know the Lord or what He had done for Israel.

   Could it be that Joshua’s generation, though they loved the Lord, neglected to share their faith with their children so that it could be shared with children and grandchildren in future generations? The result of their not being taught about the Lord and how He had blessed the nation of Israel resulted in their turning to idol worship and ultimately to discipline from God.

  My granddad’s example impressed upon me the importance of continually turning to the Word of God and teaching my children – and now grandchildren – about His love and compassion, mercy and forgiveness so they will never forget.

    My question is this: What will you leave for future generations?

   Father, nothing is more important than sharing you with my children and grandchildren. Please help me to recognize teachable moments to tell them about you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• What do most of your conversations with your children or grandchildren center around?

• How often do you talk to your children or grandchildren about Jesus?

Apply

• Have mini-sessions with your children and grandchildren to share stories from the Bible about God’s power and love for them.

• Emphasize the importance of God’s Word by having a “proud board” in your home to hang pictures your children and grandchildren have drawn from Bible stories.

Power

• Psalm 78:1, 4, 6 (NIV) “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth….We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord; his power and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”

• Psalm 102:18 (NIV) “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”

• Romans 15:4 (NIV) “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

 

Are You Living Like a Child?

 “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little  children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

  We could all see it coming. My son-in-law had only seconds before observed “Nothing good is going to come from this” as we all watched through the window while my seven-year-old grandson Jude built a ramp out of boards and a card table in the backyard and then ran to get his bike. 

  Oh, he had a helmet on but that did nothing to protect the rest of his body as he raced up the makeshift ramp and immediately fell off the side. He hopped up and gave us all a thumbs up but quickly grabbed his left wrist.

  His mom and dad immediately checked him out but he reassured them that he was just fine and his wrist only hurt a little. However the next day, the wrist hurt even more and he could not move it without a quick intake of breath and a grimace of pain. I volunteered to take him to the doctor since both parents were working. I was not at all surprised that, after an examination, the doctor wrote an order for an x-ray.

  Jude was very concerned about what the outcome might be. “I start flag football on Saturday, Grandma,” he said. I’ve waited all my life (7 years) to play football and if it’s broken, I can’t play!” I held his unhurt hand as we walked into the hospital to the x-ray department. “Jude, God knows that you have waited to play football ‘all your life.’ Maybe it’s just a sprain or it’s jammed. I will pray right this minute that it’s not broken.” He glanced up at me. “You are just NOW praying, Grandma? I’ve been praying since I fell on it yesterday!” Ouch.

  When did I forget that I needed to become like a little child before my Father as Matthew 18:3 says? I confess that I worried about his arm. I pictured the worst that could be wrong, like a major fracture and surgery. But I did not pray about it until I heard the fear in my grandson’s voice that his wrist might be broken.

  How about you? When faced with a situation that could possibly have a bad outcome, do you pray immediately like Jude did? Or do you worry, become anxious, and picture the worst BEFORE you think to pray – like I did? “Become like little children.” That’s my encouragement for all of us. When something happens, right then is the time to pray. Not as an afterthought. Not if all else fails. Nope. Pray immediately. Our faithful Father hears and He answers. 

  The great news from the doctor was that Jude did not have a break; his wrist was jammed and would quickly heal. As we climbed in my car, I turned around to see Jude, hands together as he thanked the Lord for His answer. Lord, please help me to be like this little child. 

    Father, I desire to be like a little child and trust you completely with everything in my life. May I always react first with prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What is your immediate response to a tough situation?

• Do you panic or do you pray?

Apply

• Journal situations or problems you have had for the last month and beside each one write your first response: prayer or panic.

• If you wrote “panic” beside any of them, determine whether or not that helped resolve the situation. Then decide that your first response from now on will be prayer.

 

Power

• Matthew 18:3 (NIV) “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

• Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

• Matthew 19:14 (NIV) “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”