Praying as Long as It Takes

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has

granted me what I asked of him.”

I Samuel 1:27 (NIV)

I loved tucking my small children into bed at night. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can still smell the scent of Ivory soap on freshly scrubbed little faces as they snuggled into sheets that had been drying on the line outside. But perhaps the most fun of all was bowing my head with them as they said bedtime prayers.

Children have a way of stating simple but profound truths and I have no doubt that God smiles and lovingly focuses on each one.  On one particular evening I listened as my seven-year old son asked the Lord to watch over an elderly neighbor who had not been feeling well for a few days.

Next my almost three year old asked God to help her catch Penelope, her cat, so that she could, in her words, “put my doll clothes on the poor, ole thang.” The last one to pray was my five year old. She put her little hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed with all her heart “Lord, Lord, when I grow up, help me to find the right man!”

I could not help but smile at her precious request of God as I kissed them all goodnight and shut the bedroom door. But before I could take two steps, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart: “Why are you smiling? That is exactly what you should be praying every day for your children.”

Instantly I was convicted of that huge responsibility and fervently prayed my sweet daughter’s prayer for a mate over each of them from that moment on.

Scripture tells us that Hannah had prayed fervently to become pregnant and God had granted her request. But what encourages me is that she didn’t pray once or twice and then sit back, waiting for an answer. I Samuel 1:3 says that year after year she and her husband went go to the sanctuary at Shiloh to worship and each time Hannah begged God for a child. Year after year after year.

Are you daily lifting up the future spouse for your son or daughter? That should be one of your first prayer requests each morning and the last one before you go to bed each night, year after year. We are encouraged in I Thessalonians to pray continually and to joyfully wait for an answer, even if it takes weeks or months . . . or years.

             

The Lord answered Hannah’s persistent prayer with a son that she named Samuel. And, in case you are wondering, He is answering my prayers for my children, too. Both of my daughters are married to Godly men who love the Lord and their families.

Join me in praying – as long as it takes – for Christian spouses for our sons and daughters.   

Father, may I continue to be faithful in prayer, no matter how long it takes, for my children and their future spouses. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you given serious thought to the spouse that your son or daughter will one day marry?
• Are you willing to pray as long as it takes to ask the Lord to bring the right person into their lives?

Apply

• No matter the age of your child, spend one minute each day asking God to bring a Christian spouse into his or her life.

• Periodically share Scripture about a Godly spouse with your child and pray with them that God will bring that person into their lives in His timing.

Power

• I Samuel 1:27 (NIV) “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.” 

• Galatians 6:9 (NIV) “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

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

Where Is My Focus?

“Set your minds on things above,

not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

My granddaughter went downstairs to her dad’s office where he was totally focused on a project for work. “Hey dad, is it okay if I wear this dress to church?” Without looking up from his drawing, he replied “Sure, that’s great.”

However as she went back upstairs and came face to face with her mother, she received a totally different reaction. “Honey, why do you have that dress on? You’ve gotten so much taller and it’s too short for you to wear.”

But my granddaughter replied “Mom, I just asked Dad and he said it was okay.” Within minutes Dad was called upstairs and, as his previous conversation with his daughter was recounted, he shook his head. “I should have looked up,” he said.

In today’s Scripture, Paul tells the Church of Colossae that they should also look up. But his intent in telling them to keep focused “on things above” has a much deeper meaning. He knows that when we as believers focus on “things above,” we are actually focusing on Christ.

Now let me be the first to admit that my focus can get completely thrown off track by the “earthly things” in life. Just as my son-in-law was totally absorbed with his work, I can become totally absorbed in “stuff” in my life, like how much money and possessions I have. And I can also become focused on envy or jealousy, holding a grudge smothered in anger and forgiveness, or gossiping disguised as a “just thought you ought to know” comment.

But when my focus switches to heaven – and to Christ – I begin to understand that “as God’s chosen people” (verse 12) I need to put on His clothing of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Instead of gossiping about the woman sitting in a church pew quietly wiping tears, I will sit quietly by her side and share her grief.

I will find no comfort in what I own but will be able to comfort the elderly man in the care center longing for the days when he was healthy and at his home.

I will trade impatience for patience with the woman at the gas station or supermarket who is having a rough day.

Earthly things that have no value will be replaced as my mind is set on things above and on Christ.

Where is your focus? Just look up.

Father, forgive me when I focus on the unimportant things of this earth and not on you. Pull me back into your presence. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever found yourself so focused on every day situations here on earth that you lost your focus on Christ?

• Do you think it happened suddenly or was it a gradual change?

Apply

• Buy a small chalkboard and chalk and place it in your kitchen or by the bathroom mirror.

• Write today’s Scripture on it in the morning and at the end of the day, write one sentence describing how you focused on Christ during the day. Repeat tomorrow.

Power  

•  3:2 (NIV) “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

• II Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

• John 15:19 (NIV) “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

R-rated

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we

have received the knowledge of the

truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. . .”

Hebrews 10:26 (NIV)

It was one of those moments that, years later, still makes me shake my head and smile. Noah and Lola, both 4 years old, were having a heavy conversation over a lunch of mac ‘n cheese and chocolate milk.

“Noah, when I’m 10, I’m going to see an R-rated movie,” Lola informed him.

Noah immediately answered. “You can’t see an R-rated movie. If you do you will go to “hail,” Lola.”

But she shook her head “Yes I CAN see an R-rated movie. I won’t go to “hail” if I do.” Noah totally disagreed. “Yes, you will, Lola. You will go straight to “hail” if you see one.”

The conversation went back and forth for several minutes. Finally Lola sighed and raised up both her hands in the air. “Okay, fine. I’ll go see an R-rated movie and then after it’s over, I’ll ask God to forgive me.” Mercy.

Obviously, at 4 years of age, Lola had no concept of Hebrews 10:12. But evidently she had heard a conversation somewhere about doing something you should not be doing and THEN asking God to forgive you.

So what does it mean to “deliberately keep on sinning”? I believe it comes down to this: knowing the clear commands of Scripture but choosing to ignore them and do what we want to do instead. Not confessing but continuing our sin; not battling against it but willingly surrendering to it day after day.

For example, do we focus on loving money to the point that every day is filled with how to obtain more and more wealth? We are told in I Timothy 6:10 that the love of money only leads to all kinds of evil. We know that. But yet we continue holding it up as our god.

Or perhaps we are in a relationship outside of our marriage. We know that we are clearly warned in I Corinthians 6:18 to run from sexual immorality and yet we ignore the word of God and continue in our sin.

Before you say “Yes, but no one is perfect! We all sin!” I completely agree. We all mess up. But as Christians, we know our trust and faith are in the only One who died for us and who promises forgiveness when we confess our sins to Him.

Jesus became the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins with His death on the cross. Resolve today, not to deliberately keep on sinning but to deliberately keep on turning to Him for forgiveness and renewal.

Father, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. I do not want to ever deliberately sin against you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you recall a time in your life when you knew you were deliberately sinning but you didn’t repent?

Apply

• Journal anything in your life that you think might be “deliberate sin.”
• Read through the Word and write Scripture verses that speak to each entry.
• Ask the Lord to forgive you and help you begin anew by His grace and mercy.

Power

• Hebrews 10:26 (NIV) “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. . .”

• II Peter 2:21 (NIV) “It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”

• Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God . . .”

What’s on the Radar?

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind

is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in

the Lord forever, for the Lord, the

Lord, is the Rock eternal.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)

One of my favorite shows on television is the weather channel. No, really. There is always something new popping up on the map. I seriously love hearing about an approaching storm predicted to deliver snow to my community or the warnings of tornadoes forming.

I marvel at the radar showing rain changing to sleet and then snow within an hour. It amazes me that understanding cloud types can help determine the kind of weather to expect. Granted there are times when the weather prediction is uncertain at best and it seems that the meteorologists have spun an arrow on a circle marked with different types of weather and whatever the arrow stopped on was our forecast for the day.

 But overall, just knowing what the radar predicts is coming next gives me a bit of confidence and security over the weather.

I’ve always thought it would be great to have radar predictions for the storms that hit our lives, much like what we see on the weather channel. “Tomorrow there is a 90% likelihood of extreme heat as my husband and I disagree on buying a car but Tuesday looks clear.

“On Wednesday there is a 60% chance that I will lose my contacts so visibility will be low and I will need someone else to pick up the kids after school. Thursday brings a chance of showers and moisture as I step on the scales so Friday will find a high pressure workout at the local gym.”

There is something about our wanting to be in control of our circumstances that keeps many of us from trusting our Father to take care of us at all times and in everything that we face. What that actually means is that, deep inside, we don’t really believe that God has the power to do what He says He can do.

Trust. That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it. Today’s Power Verses address that very thing. You will have peace, strength and receive help when you trust the Lord. You will be helped when you trust the Lord. Every. Single. Time.

So what extreme heat situations are you trying to weather today? A family crisis? An alcoholic loved one? A career loss? Trust our Father to be 100% accurate as He leads you through the storms in your life with His Godly radar.  

Father, so many times I have tried to determine what is going to happen in my life and to fix it on my own. I trust you now to take care of me and to direct my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• When tough situations in life occur, what is the first thing that you do?

• Do you trust the Lord to handle it for you or do you try to fix it on your own?

Apply

• Look up verses in Scripture that talk about the results of trusting in the Lord.

• Memorize one verse each week and journal how that verse encouraged you.

Power

• Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV) “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

• Psalm 28:7 (NIV) “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.”

Don’t Wave Off the Warning

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as

warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”

I Corinthians 10:11 (NIV)

 “What in the world is going on?” I thought to myself the other day as I watched arms waving from car after car as drivers tried frantically to flag down a woman in a little red van getting ready to pull onto the interstate.

 A few seconds later I spotted the reason: a big coffee mug and an even bigger camera were hitching a ride on the roof of the van. The woman behind the wheel kept driving, completely oblivious to the people trying to help the “hitchhikers” on her roof avoid a messy and disastrous end to their ride.

She finally glanced at the drivers but, ignoring their frantic waving and gesturing, she simply smiled, waved back . . . and drove on. Somewhere down the highway as she picked up speed, the coffee mug and camera would fly off the van roof and smash into the highway.

Had she simply stopped long enough to see why the drivers were gesturing toward the top of her van, she would have immediately realized that they were trying to warn her of a sure catastrophe.

God’s Word is full of warnings and caution signs designed to “flag us down” before we, like the van driver, are faced with certain disaster. He knows that decisions and choices that we make as Christians will not be welcomed by those in the world and He continually warns us to hold on to His Word when we feel overwhelmed, vulnerable and weak.

He also knows that our enemy will always be on the attack and we cannot let up for a single minute as we guard against him. We are told in I Peter 5:8 to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Now that is a warning we all need to heed!

Just as an earthly father warns his children about dangers around them, how much more our Heavenly Father continually cautions us to keep our focus on Him as He points us in the right direction for our lives.

And if we don’t heed His warnings? If we ignore all His attempts to get our attention? Then we will face the consequences of deciding to smile, wave and continue down the path we have chosen.

I urge you today not to ignore the “waving arms” in your path. They may be counsel from a Godly Christian friend or a devotional you read one morning or a verse in the Bible that speaks to your heart. No matter the form they may take, please recognize them as our Father’s longing to “flag us down” and direct our paths away from flying mugs and cameras.

Father, how many times have I raced ahead and not heeded your warnings in my life. And how many times could a bad decision have been averted if only I had looked to you. Please help me to spend time in your Word and to seek your will in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of a time in which you felt the Lord placing warning signs in your path but you still went ahead with your plans?

• What were your reasons for ignoring those warning signs? What was the result?

Apply

• Ask a Godly prayer warrior who is continually in the Word to be an accountability partner with you and to pray with you as decisions require answers in your life.

• Keep a prayer journal of Scripture that encourages you to seek the Lord in all areas of your life before making important decisions.

Power

• I Corinthians 10:11 (NIV) “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”

• I Corinthians 4:14 (NIV) “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.”

• Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

The Ultimate Do-Over

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come.”

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

I love a “do over.” Just that phrase itself promises the opportunity of a fresh start. For example, if I hit a bad note while singing in a music contest, I would love a “do over” to try to sway the judges to give me a good score.

And, heaven forbid, if I accidentally ran over the neighbor’s cat, wouldn’t a “do over” be a wonderful thing, especially for the cat?

Consider if my hair dresser gave me a new haircut that I thought would look great but didn’t. A “do over” on my new “do” could restore everything as it was before my poor decision.

And, my goodness, what about my golf game? Through the years I have given myself countless near-hernias because I have swung (with proper form, I might add) and missed the ball at least a thousand times.

A “do over” would give me one more chance to hit the ball and avoid a hernia in the process. Who wouldn’t love the idea of a “do over”?

Astonishingly, our Father has given us a one-of-a-kind “do over” in the precious gift of Jesus. As Paul writes in today’s Scripture, when we accept Christ, we become a new creation.

Forget the old person that we were with all our mistakes and near hits and misses. Bury the old self that just could not quite hit the note or the ball or, Lord have mercy, miss the cat!

The difference between our “do over” and our Father’s is that even though we try and try to get it right, we are never going to do everything perfectly. All the “do overs” in the world will not make us without sin. Jesus, once and for all, became the “do over” in our place.

No matter what your heart looks like, we all have the opportunity to have a “do over” in Christ and to allow the forgiveness and mercy only He can give replace the old with the new . . . forever.

Do I wish that I could have one more try at hitting that note more clearly or knocking the golf ball yards away or turning left instead of right when I saw the cat? Sure I do. I would love one more “do over.”

But may I never forget that the Ultimate Do Over is Jesus.

Father, with all my heart I thank you for Jesus, for allowing Him to die for me, for allowing Him to take my place. How excited I am to be a new creation in you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Is there anything in your life that you want to “do over” and make more presentable before you turn it over to the Lord?

• Why are you hesitating to allow Him to replace all the old with His forgiveness and mercy?

Apply

• Memorize the power verses for today’s devotion.

• Any time that you feel the need to “do over” before coming before the Lord, speak each power verse to your heart.

Power

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

• Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

• I John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purity us from all unrighteousness.”

Word for Word

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day

of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

It’s amazing to me how changing just a letter or two in a word can give it a completely new meaning. For example, a student came to my school nurse office and wanted to go home. I saw her on a daily basis and questioned whether she was truly sick.

 “What exactly is wrong with you,” I asked her.   I could tell by her face that she was searching for a terrible ailment that would allow her to leave when she suddenly grabbed her tummy and said “I am having pains in my stomach and have to go to the bathroom a lot.  I have loose vowels.” Forgive me but there was a part of me that wanted to ask “A, E, I, O or U?”

I also remember a former student who was helping me load my car with some heavy purchases. “Did you know, Nurse Nancy, that I have secret powers?” he asked. I responded “Oh, really, David? I never knew that about you.” He slammed my car truck and gave me a knowing look. “I can predict the future. I . . . am . . . psychotic.” Lord have mercy.

Both of those comments were just an innocent mistake and no one was hurt. Both people simply used the wrong word. Today’s Scripture, however, talks about something totally different. Now, before you say “Well, yes, I know that I shouldn’t gossip or tell a lie,” let me share what I believe “careless word” also means.

We can hurt people by comments that we make when we are trying to pass judgment on them. I’m sure that we probably don’t see it that way. Maybe we just think that we are giving an opinion. But careless comments truly can damage a heart and chip away at God’s promise that we are priceless to Him. Here are just a few that come to mind:

“He will never be the athlete his brother was.”

“Everybody else seems to have learned the math concepts but you.”

“Dating only 2 months after his wife passed away. Isn’t that interesting.”

“Yes, I know she was baptized this week. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“Are you really going to wear that dress?”

I have been guilty of making careless comments without thinking about the impact they could have on that person. And while I am so thankful for the forgiveness that Jesus offers each of us when we sin (Romans 4:7-8), I want more than anything to replace the careless with the caring . . . word for word.

Father, forgive me for those words that I have spoken that were hurtful and did not glorify you in any way. Help me to control my tongue. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever made a questionable comment and then realized that the person was within hearing distance.

• How did that make you feel? How do you think it made him/her feel?

Apply

• When you are in conversations with people and are about to comment, picture the person who is being talked about standing next to you.

• Now decide if what you are about to say would hurt or help them and respond accordingly.

Power

• Matthew 12:36 (NIV) “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

• Psalm 39:1 (NIV) “I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth, as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

• Proverbs 10:19 (NIV) “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”