Joy overflowing.....

John 16:24 “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (NAB) “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (NIV) “Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be overflowing.” (Phillips) “…..your joy will be a river, overflowing its banks” (MSG) “….so you will be completely happy.” (CEV) John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Complete joy…what is it? How do we “complete” our joy? There are several other terms suggested here…full…overflowing…like a river overflowing its banks…completely happy. This is an excessive joy. Not just day-to-day happiness, but an inner joy so full it overflows in all we do or say. Where does this deep joy come from? Being able to “ask in my name and you will receive.” This isn’t half-hearted asking and hoping, but asking that is based on full knowledge and trust on Jesus’ name and character and on a loving Father who has proven how much we mean to him. This is expectation. We have a lot of trouble understanding “expectation”. We hope, but often lose much of the element of expecting that should be part of that hope. Jesus talks about this “complete joy” in John 15:11 also. He is explaining to his disciples about abiding in him, being attached to his Vine so that we can produce fruit, obeying his commands as he obeys the Father so that we “remain in his love”. Knowing all this should give us complete joy. He’s telling us we can have the same relationship with our Father that he has, if we stay attached to the Vine and draw on Jesus’ character to change us into his image. “Remain in my love” (vs. 9) Our complete joy is found in God’s love. As long as we are “attached” to God’s love through Jesus Christ, joy is ours. Asking and receiving are evidence of our trust and our abiding nature. The more we trust God’s love and follow closely his Son, Jesus Christ, the more confidence we gain in our asking and receiving, the better we know his will and obey his commands. “Like a river overflowing its banks”…that’s the joy I want! Like Living Water pouring out endlessly from a deep well of trust and understanding. Complete my joy as I grow to know and trust you more! Complete my joy in asking and receiving in Jesus’ name! Complete my joy in all I do, in all I think, in all I feel. Complete my joy in praise and thanksgiving for God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen.

Thinking about our treasure.....

Luke 2:19 “Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” (NAB)

 “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (KJV)

“Mary treasured all these things and turned them over in her mind.” (Phillips)

 “Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.” (MSG)

“Mary kept thinking about all of this, wondering what it meant.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father,
We all have “treasures”….things we keep….maybe in a box, or locked in a safe, or displayed on a shelf, or in a glass front cabinet or tucked away in a cedar chest or drawer. But we know where those special treasures are, and from time to time we look at them, handle them, remember their meaning for us.

 Mary had a unique role in the life of Jesus Christ. A very young virgin, bearing a child in a strange town, in an unusual setting, with animals and shepherds and later wise men milling around, bowing down, leaving gifts, seeking out her baby to “see him”…to wonder at him. Every mother wonders at her own child, but these were strangers! Since the first visit of the angel, through Joseph’s affirmation and also Elizabeth’s, Mary knew these were times to remember, times to treasure, times to ponder. Her baby was special…not as all babies are special to their mothers, but in a spiritual holy way. Mary “kept” all of this…pondered it, thought about it, reflected on it, turned it over and over in her mind. Who wouldn’t? These weren’t every-day, business as usual events!

 If Jesus Christ is born into our lives abiding in our heart, we too should treasure every moment. From the day we first see him, from the moment he becomes “real” to us, and we see the cross and the empty tomb, and understand what they mean…we too have a treasure, something to keep, something to turn over in our minds, ponder in our hearts, wonder about what it all means. This treasure is not meant to be locked away. No one can steal it or take it away from us! We want to show this treasure to everyone we meet! Our treasure becomes both a public and a private thing. We shout to the world that we have it and rejoice in it, but we also go alone to our prayer closet and hold it in wonder and awe and reflect and meditate on it. Jesus is ours to keep…to hold…to treasure…to wonder on and think about. How deeply do I recognize the treasure that I hold? How important have I let it be in my life? How often do I ponder it? I wish to carry this treasure always in my heart and mind and soul. Never apart from me, but always close within me. I wish to ponder and hold it dear, always. You are my treasure! Thank you, amen.

Perseverance, preparedness, praise.....

Col. 4:2 “Pray perseveringly, be attentive to prayer, and pray in a spirit of thanksgiving.”(NAB) “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” (KJV) “Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.” (NIV) “Always maintain the habit of prayer: be both alert and thankful as you pray.” (Phillips) “Pray diligently. Stay alert with your eyes wide open in gratitude.” (MSG) “Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father,

Prayer guidelines: Perseverance, preparedness, praise. These three things are stressed in this verse. Persevering, continuing, devoting yourself, maintaining a habit, diligently, never giving up…that’s an amazing list of ways to say ”Keep at it!” We can’t stop, can’t give up, can’t lose interest, can’t let the world distract us, can’t lose hope. Prayer is contingent on faith and hope and love. We have to believe there is a reason to pray and a loving God to pray to. We have to have hope and expectation of getting an answer to our prayers. We have to love enough to want to keep going, keep asking, keep praying. All of that is part of persevering. Next we are to “be attentive to”…watch, be alert. All of our life is in one sense or another a waiting time. For Christians it is waiting for Christ’s return. While we wait, we are to b alert, watching, attentive, so we are prepared for Christ’s coming and for anything else that might happen in the waiting time. This waiting time of alertness should be wrapped in prayer. It’s the prayer of Ephesians 6…the spiritual armor. We are suited up in protective gear provided by the Holy Spirit so we can be ready, be prepared…the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is God’s Word! Our prayers should be prayed in this constant position of alertness. The Holy Spirit is here to give us this “position of preparedness” so that our prayers will have power. Last and always is praise or thanksgiving. No prayer should lack a spirit of thanksgiving and praise. Even when we forget to say the words…”thank you….our heart should radiate the knowledge that our God is the only God, our God is powerful and just, our God is faithful and true, our God is loving and compassionate, our God has and will always provide for us! Our faith, hope and love are based on this knowledge. Our God can do anything…period. Help me loving Father, Son and Savior, Holy Spirit to always have this position of perseverance, preparedness and praise when I pray. Thank you, amen.

Listen to him!.....

Matthew 17:5 “This is my beloved son on whom my favor rests, listen to him.” (NAB) “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (NIV) “This is my dearly loved son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

The heavenly voice of authority speaks, and the disciples fall on their faces overcome with fear (v. 6). There was no shadow of doubt in their minds at that moment. The overshadowing cloud, the voice from heaven…they knew who was speaking to them! I think so often our concept of you, our Father, our Creator, the Almighty God of the Universe is so mixed up and “distant” that we never have that sense of knowing that the disciples had at this precise moment. We want to hear you voice!…..but we, too would fall on our faces in fear. The reality would overwhelm us. The whole mountain top experience of the transfiguration was one destined to never be forgotten! Bright light, Jesus’ shining face and clothes of white light, Moses and Elijah, the cloud, the voice. Even Peter’s exuberant babbling nature was silenced by the voice! Your presence brings enlightenment and awe and knowledge and fear. “Listen to him!” Every translation agrees on those 3 words. Your message for those listening is that this is your beloved Son and we must listen to him. You couldn’t make it any clearer. They were to stop guessing and know. They were to stop trying to jump ahead to the conclusion they hoped for and instead to simply “listen” to what Jesus told them. His words would be our Truth. His life and death would be our Way. His resurrection would be our Life! “Listen to him!” Only him….no one else…pay attention. You tell us….prostrate yourselves in my presence, my Son’s presence…and listen. We’ve all heard the expression, “listen closely and you may hear something to your advantage.” Well…this is IT! This is the most advantageous thing we will ever hear. Jesus is God’s Son! Jesus is loved by his Father. Jesus has words of life to give us! Jesus is the answer to all of life! “Listen to him!” Forgive me LORD, when I stop my ears and when I babble incessantly! Silence me in your presence and let me hear your Son’s words of life. Thank you, amen.

Close the door.....

Matthew 6:6 “Whenever you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in private.” (NAB)

“But when you pray, go into your own room, shut your door and pray to your Father privately.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father, The hardest instruction for praying seems to me to be “close the door”. Shutting out the world and its distractions is very difficult. Getting alone with you….really alone in mind and spirit…listening. “Go to your room” sounds so much like what we tell our children when they are naughty….”go to your room and think about what you did.” In some sense this is part of prayer. We think about our sins in the quiet of our minds and confess them to you so we may be free of their burden on our spirit. We “right our relationship” with you, based on Christ’s blood. We sit and allow your grace to envelop us and bring us your peace. Praying to you in private about private things. Even in our requests, our intercessions for others, we need this private time with you. You aren’t a “candy store God” that we should rush up and order what we want! We need time to just be alone with you, trying to listen, trying to bring our life into your presence and your presence in to our life. “Shutting the door” is our way of turning from the world…of saying “I don’t want you with me right now…I want to be alone with my Father!” Turning our thoughts towards your words of scripture, trying to make them “real” and a part of us, trying to learn more about your Son, our Savior, casting out our pleas for forgiveness, our requests for provision, our longings for peace, our cares and worries we don’t know what to do with, seeking guidance, renewal, direction, assurance. “Prayer closet time” is busy and intense. We know more to ask for than we can possibly have time to ask! We feel we leave things out…important things. We don’t always include praise and thanks except as a brief after thought. Forgive me that! I feel such love for you, and yet I forget to put it into words! We seldom tell the ones we love the most how important they are to us! Help me shut the door to my prayer closet every day, but never to shut out the One I love the most! Prayer is your presence with me. Thank you for praying with me today and always. “You are my God, and I am your child!” amen.

Listen up!.....

Matthew 11:15 “Heed carefully what you hear.” (NAB) “He who has ears let him hear.” (NIV) “The man who has ears to hear must use them.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father, Everyone who meets up with Jesus wants confirmation of who he is…both then and now. Even John the Baptist, who was preparing the way for Jesus questioned who Jesus was and if he truly was the Messiah they were expecting. Jesus rattles off a list of his accomplishments which matches the list in Isaiah, and asks if they are paying attention to what he is saying and doing! This verse amounts to saying, “It doesn’t do you much god to have ears if you aren’t going to use them.” No matter what he did or said the people were going to argue with it. He didn’t fit the expectations, their idea of what the Messiah should be like so they complain and argue and discuss endlessly and ask for more proof. He healed people…the blind, the deaf, the lame, the leprous! He raised people from the dead! He preached god news about God and his kingdom! What more proof did they need? They didn’t believe the prophets, they didn’t believe John, they didn’t believe the evidence of their own eyes and ears. I wonder what they would have considered absolute proof….a signed and notarized statement from You, O LORD? Floating down from heaven on the wings of angels? We are just as stubborn. What proof would we believe? What proof would be “enough” to convince us? Proofs don’t work. Faith is necessary. Faith and “listening” with our inner ear, in our inner heart, for the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking in affirmation. Listening so intently that we hear your voice tell us…”This is my Son, listen to him!” Accepting the evidence of faith as our proof. “The man who has ears must use them.” The means of knowing are there. We have to put our “faith ears” to work and pay close attention to what we hear. Jesus has spoken. He is the Word! We must listen and hear. He speaks the Word of eternal life, he speaks Truth. He speaks salvation. He speaks grace! Thank you, amen.

Will you open the door?.....

Revelations 3:20 “Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him and he with me.” (NAB) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (NIV) Heavenly Father, Should I open the door? When we hear a knock on the door, that is our first reaction. Is it safe? Is it someone I know? Is it a risk I’m willing to take? The first thing we seek is identification….who is knocking? Jesus says: “If anyone hears me calling”….or “If anyone hears my voice”. We don’t open the door to strangers if we are alone and vulnerable. It takes a familiar voice, a known and trusted voice to encourage us to open up. There can be another “twist” to this….sometimes we do recognize the voice, but don’t want to let this person in. We make a choice based on what we know about the person knocking…do we want to see this person, talk to this person, listen to this person, share a meal of welcome? That leads to the second step…opening the door. Sometimes we don’t even hear the knock…we are “hard of hearing” or too busy and miss it completely. Jesus knocks for each of us. We must be in a state of expectation and anticipation in order to hear his knock. Then we must choose….are we willing to take a chance, open the door, invite him in, listen to what he has to say? It all hinges on opening the door….he won’t force his way in. When we welcome him and invite him in as a friend or family, he will never refuse to come in. His promise is: “I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” The meal becomes a joint, shared affair. The eating together seals the relationship. Jesus often met with people over meals…sinners, friends, strangers, those he chose. He “came to call” and they showed him welcome and broke bread with him. Jesus made this act of sharing a meal, breaking bread, a symbol of his saving grace, his final act of love for all of us. When we eat with Jesus we share his gift of salvation…broken body and blood given in sacrifice for us. We are redeemed in this “meal”….when we first hear his call and open the door to his presence. We welcome his sacrifice on our behalf and say, “Yes, Jesus…please come in!” Thank you for calling! Amen.

Matthew 9:13 “I have come to call, not the self-righteous, but sinners.” I HAVE COME TO CALL….. I have come to call….. I’m standing right outside. I’ll knock until you answer me That I might here abide. I’ve come to call all sinners To make salvation known I want to come into your heart And there to make my home. I have come to call….. Will you let me in? Only you can make the choice To let me take your sin.

(3-15-07 Mary Freeman)

Withdrawing....praying.....

Luke 5:16 “He often retired to deserted places and prayed.” (NAB) “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.” (KJV) “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (NIV) “As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” (MSG) “But he slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer.” (Phillips) “But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father, “Withdrew”….I have seen people withdraw while still in a crowd of people. Suddenly they are physically “there”….but mentally, emotionally or spiritually somewhere else entirely….”in a world of their own”. Prayer is just that….a world of our own…with just 2 people present, ourselves and you. The world is shut out, distractions are quieted, our mind and spirit are focused. We listen in the silence. We wait. Sometimes a physical “desert” is necessary….a mountainside above the crowds…a lonely place…a wilderness…an out-of-the-way place….a prayer closet……. an empty sanctuary. Only we know where that place is for us. It must produce a feeling of emptiness, a sense of being all alone, an unnatural quietness. A place where we can listen, can sense your presence. Jesus was constantly surrounded by crowds of demanding, expectant people and devoted followers and disciples. It must have been very difficult for him to “withdraw”. Everyone wanted something from him. He had a mission, a role to fulfill. How do you quiet your soul amidst the clamor of the world? Most of us can’t find a way to do it. We have to find our deserted place, our wilderness, our emptiness where the world suddenly vanishes. We don’t try to do this often enough. Jesus made it a habit…”often”. We throw up our hands and say, “it’s too hard, I can’t do it”…so we don’t try. We don’t know how to “stop the world” and get off for a while. Prayer is important. Jesus died to make it possible for us to have a prayer life with our Father that rests on the promise of “ask and you shall be given”….”ask, in my name”….”ask and the Father will give you..”. If we don’t pray, don’t ask, don’t seek, than Jesus died in vain! Prayer is our new life, a gift of grace, a Father-child relationship established in love forever. Thank you, O LORD! Lead me to deserted places where we might be alone! Amen.

Like a thirsty deer.....

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God.” (NAB) “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God! When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV) “As a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God! When will I see your face?” (CEV) Heavenly Father, Thirst….longing. Just as deer are drawn to water to slake their thirst, we find ourselves drawn to you, our God, our Father, our Creator, to fill us. Our heart knows where home is, if we allow you to reveal it to us. We were made in your image, destined to be your “children”. You draw us closer as our thirst to find you increases. When a deer stands at the water’s edge to drink it is very vulnerable. Head down, intent on drinking, it is unprotected and open to attack. When we draw close to you to drink, we too are vulnerable. Our defenses are down and we are open and unprotected before you. We trust you. We stand waiting to be filled. Thirst that must be quenched. We draw closer to you in moments of deep need when we realize that we can’t provide for ourselves the life-giving water. Jesus poured out Living Water to slake our thirst! Jesus fills us as no other water can. When we drink the water Jesus gives us, we no longer thirst! Filled….satisfied! And that water becomes in us a “spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) We can drink from it at any time. We can end our thirst forever, because Jesus becomes a source of Living Water within us. Everlasting life…..the state of never being thirsty because we are “home” at the source of Life. The Psalmist of #42 is longing for this blissful state of eternally being filled. Verse 2 says: “When can I go and meet with God?” or “When will I see your face?” His longing is deep, his thirst is all he knows, he is vulnerable and ready to drink. He has to! He wants to! His soul longs and pants for you, O LORD! Give me the thirst of a deer panting for you always! Make my longing for you my only thought! Help me let down all my defenses, that I might stand before you and be filled! You are my God! I am your child! “You alone are my strength, my shield, to you alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you.” amen

How much more.....God's love

Matthew 7:11 “How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks him!” Heavenly Father, How to be a good father. If we have enough common sense and kindness to respond lovingly to our children…to give them food when they ask for it…it makes sense that You, the Father of all, would be even kinder, wiser, more loving! Anything we can do or are willing to do in love for our children, you are far better at doing. You are the supreme example of love, of goodness, of mercy, of compassion, of nurturing. We learn from you…not vice versa. We know how to love our children because you showed your love for us and because you created that capacity to love our offspring into our beings….in your image. We didn’t invent love…you did! We didn’t invent kindness and caring…you did! All that we are, that is good, is modeled on your goodness. We’ve warped our goodness and hampered it by our choice to sin….but we still know how to love our children , to meet their hunger for food. Our own hunger and thirst is met by you…not just physically, but spiritually. “Blessed is he who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, for he will be filled.” Jesus told us this…so it is truth. We will find our blessing, we will be filled and satisfied, when we seek you and your righteousness. “How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who a asks him!” We just need to be hungry and we just need to come to you and ask to be filled. You are my Father, and you love me, and you will give me all I need. You are aware of all my needs before I ask. You won’t let me “starve” or make fun of me by giving me useless things. You know exactly what I need and when I need it. You gave your Son, Jesus Christ, to fill our greatest need…to make us your children so we can come to you in trust and ask, knowing how much you love us. Thank you for loving me and providing all I need when I ask. Amen.

When we seek, we find You.....

Jer. 29:12-14 “When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you.” Heavenly Father, This verse sort of foreshadows the “ask, seek, knock” verse that comes later from Jesus. Always you have told your people that if they call you will listen, if they seek you they will find you, and if they really pour their whole heart into it…want it more than anything…than you will be with them. You area always present, but if we aren’t seeking you or listening to your voice than you might as well be somewhere else. Your presence has to become known to us, we must become aware of it. If we turn our backs we can’t see what is behind us. If we close our eyes we can’t see what is in front of us. If we stop up our ears or fill them with other sounds we can’t hear your words. If we willfully reject your direction it is the same as not hearing or seeing. The final part of this verse in the key…”with all your heart”. Until we get really serious about wanting to know you, wanting to obey you, wanting to make sense out of a relationship with you, we will wander around in darkness. Our “call” in this verse must be “prayer”. Not just words thrown into emptiness, but a cry directed to our Father, our God, our Creator. Our call, our looking, must be with some expectation of a target for our cries and our seekings. We acknowledge that someone is out there beyond our sight, beyond our senses. Not just a random stab in the dark, but a directed approach to a Higher Being….our God. Faith begets hope, hope begets love. The word “me” is used 6 times in this verse in reference to You, our God, speaking to us. Our calling, our looking, our heart-felt seeking in this verse is to be directed at a person…ME…our God who is speaking to us. What we find, the One who hears, the One who will “be with you” is again….ME…our God who is speaking to us. Deliberate recognition on our part, deliberate answers on yours. Communication established. A relationship begun. Me and You. One on one. We are with each other and establishing a bond. I will call…you will answer me! I will seek you, and you will be found by me! I will give you my heart, and you will be with me always! Thank you! amen.

Climbing the mountain into your presence....

Matthew 14:23 “He went up on the mountain by himself to pray…” (NAB) Psalm 95:4 “….the mountain peaks belong to him” Isaiah 2:3 “Come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD…… He will teach up his ways so that we may walk in his paths.”

Heavenly Father, Climbing the mountain to pray. Jesus went up the mountainside. Your presence is always “up”. You are high above and away from the things of earth. Above our worries and concerns. Alone. Jesus went by himself. No one else to distract him or talk to. No one else to listen to our innermost struggles and secrets. No one else to do this for us…we have to be the ones who climb the mountain to meet you in prayer. Scriptures often speak of you in terms of mountaintops. You met Moses on the mountain in a burning bush. You gave the 10 commandments on a mountain. The temple was built on a mountain. Jesus taught on the hillsides, prayed on the mountains above and died on a hill above the city. Psalm 95:4 says: “…the mountain peaks belong to Him!” Men have always looked up at lofty mountain peaks and sensed your presence there. Mountains seem huge to us and so is our God! “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, our God is all around his people.” Mountains are powerful and eternal and unmovable by man’s standards, so we see you high on a mountaintop! Prayer is climbing your mountain. Prayer is getting above and away from the world into your presence. Isaiah 2:3 says: “come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the home of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” Prayer is where we go to find you, to learn your Way, to walk in your paths. Jesus went up the mountain first. We follow him there and into your presence. We don’t truly go alone….Jesus, the Holy Spirit, are our guides and they go with us. David Rosage, in his devotional book "Follow Me" says, “ that our mountaintop view lets us see beyond our own little world that we may pray more fervently for your kingdom.” Draw me to your mountaintop! Let me see your kingdom and know your presence and follow your paths. Amen.

CLIMB THE MOUNTAINSIDE OF PRAYER

Jesus climbed the mountainside to be alone with God,

To find a place of quiet with no one else around.

He climbed to leave the world behind, to find a place to pray,

Where he could meet his Father, and kneel on “holy ground”.

We too must leave the world behind, the worry, stress, and woe,

And find a quiet time with God to listen to him speak.

To rest our weary bodies, to rest our troubled minds,

And find our Father’s peace and love, his “kingdom” there we’ll seek.

We cannot learn our Father’s will, or find the strength to win,

Until we leave it all behind, and climb that mountainside.

We have to get alone with God, and bow our heads in prayer,

And there we’ll open wide our hearts and in his love abide.

(Mary Freeman 6-2-07)

Listen, really listen!....

Matthew 13:43 “Let everyone heed what he hears!” (NAB) “He who has ears, let him hear!” (NIV) “The man who has ears should use them!” (Phillips) “Are you listening to this, really listening?” (MSG) “If you have ears, pay attention!” (CEV)

Heavenly Father, Jesus often spoke about hearing, “having ears”. What is implied is better stated in the more modern translation: “use them (ears)”…”are you listening?”…”pay attention.” We all have ears, we don’t all use them well. I’m hard of hearing so I understand about “really listening”. It’s imperative for me to really listen carefully when others speak, so that I will hear every word…I seldom manage this…and so that I don’t miss anything important. But my problem is more about “hearing” than “listening”, although it involves both. Jesus wants us to listen with spiritual ears to each word he speaks. We need to try to discern every bit of truth and meaning. He had just told the parable of the weeds, and the disciples ask him to explain it. This is actually one of the more easily understood parables! He explains the parable ending in a vision of the final judgment when the “weeds” will be torn up and burned. He wants his listeners to concentrate on that image and be fully aware of its implications. It is important, so he wants them to “heed”…to “listen, really listen”…to “pay attention!” Many things in scripture are things we don’t want to hear…especially about judgment. But we must listen and pay attention. I sometimes “tune out” what I don’t want to hear. I get selective about who or what I listen to and use my bad hearing as an excuse to ignore what I don’t like. We all are “selective hearers”. We listen when we want, and are suddenly deaf to what we choose to ignore. The unsaved of the world mostly fall in the category of those refusing to listen, to pay attention. They have decided the message doesn’t apply to them, or that they don’t have time for it, or aren’t interested in it, or they hear parts that they don’t like, or they find the person telling them obnoxious or uninformed, so they tune out the whole message. We must open their ears! John the Baptist came first to prepare men for Jesus. Recognition of sin and repentance are necessary before grace. We must make mankind hear the message. We must listen and tell others. Show me how! Open my ears to all I must hear and know and how I must tell it to others so they will “listen, really listen”. Thank you, amen.

In that day you will ask in my name....

John 16:23 “I give you my assurance, whatever you ask the Father, he will give you in my name.” (NAB)

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father, Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life…” Jesus is truth. When Jesus “assures” us of something, it is Truth. He doesn’t make false statements or teach falsehoods. This verse begins very boldly asserting that “truth” is about to be spoken…we can be assured about this point Jesus is making. “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” Truth. What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name? This is the confusing part. Not just adding Jesus’ name to our prayers. Not using his name as a “rubber stamp” to give authority to what we choose or want. It has to mean more. Jesus tells the disciples they have not asked in his name up to this point. He tells them a day is coming when he will speak very plainly about the Father. “In that day you will ask in my name.” When Jesus speaks plainly to us about the Father…we hear and understand through our saved relationship in Jesus.…that is when we can pray in his name. Jesus’ name is connected to Jesus’ character. We must know his character to really know his name. What Jesus is….Way, Truth, Life….is the character or nature that we must come to know in order to “ask in his name” Jesus reflects or shows us his Father. If we know Jesus we know you, the Father. This must become plain to us. The Holy Spirit enables us to know Jesus and know the Father. Three in One working together. Knowing the will and nature of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is our goal. We will know when we can ask with assurance, when Truth is revealed and understood. “In that day you will ask in my name.” We want it to be simple in the world’s view of simple…ask, add Jesus’ name, get what we want. You gave us your Son…we must take time to know him, respect him, love him, follow him. His name only belongs to us if we abide in him…in you. It’s a relationship based on knowing each other, being open with each other, loving each other. It’s a Way, a Truth, a Life, wrapped up in one person, Jesus Christ. “My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” His relationship becomes the basis for our relationship. When we hear, “plain speaking” we’ve reached “that day”. Help me hear and know you. Show me your name. Teach me. Thank you, Jesus, for making a relationship with our Father possible. Amen.

Worship, intercession, thanksgiving....

1 Thes. 5:16-18 “Never cease praying, render constant thanks.” (NAB)

“Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing. In everything gives thanks.” (KJV)

“Be happy in your faith at all times. Never stop praying. Be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be.” (Phillips)

“Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” (NIV)

“Be cheerful no matter what, pray all the time, thank God no matter what happens.” (MSG)

“Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father, These 3 statements are generally quoted together, even though each has a separate verse. Three things we must do…rejoice, pray, give thanks…and each one continually or always. Worship, intercession, thanksgiving….”This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” No matter what else is happening in our lives, we should be rejoicing, praying and thanking. All of these are focused in our relationship with you, our Father. If we are always rejoicing, than we are always tuned into your presence and aware of our relationship as your children. Joy pours forth from recognition of our life as your children, as saved sinners through Jesus Christ, as the recipients of grace. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!” This is joy! This is abiding in the love you have poured out on us. Our soul and spirit soar in joyful recognition….always! This joy leads us to want continual communion with you….prayer, talking and listening to you, abiding in your presence, learning to sense your will at all times, asking, seeking, knocking, absorbing power from your Holy Spirit….being one with you. This is prayer….your presence at all times. Prayer can’t help but lead to thanks. Prayer brings awareness of your provision, your protection, your peace, your presence. Even when asking, we are thankfully aware of past answers, your faithfulness, your comfort, your care. All of this is your will for us, through Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t just save us from hell, he brought us to something. He brought us an eternal relationship that sustains us at all times. He brought us “to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell!” (Ps 43:3) We are bound to you in relationship through Jesus Christ. We are sons and daughters. We have a home. We can rejoice, pray, thank, and know you are there with us! Thank you! amen.

Communing with God in prayer.....

Luke 6:12 “Then he went out to the mountain to pray, spending the night in communion with God.” (NAB)

“He climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father, Jesus climbed a mountain to spend time alone with you. In the dark of night, without the disciples or other followers around, he climbs into the silence on the dark mountain to “commune” with you. He stayed there all night. He didn’t wear a watch. He didn’t count the hours or minutes to see how much longer he needed to be there. He cut himself off from all distractions and sought you in the silence of waiting…listening. I find this so hard to do! We don’t know what he prayed or how he prayed or any other details. When he came down the next morning he called all his followers to him and chose the 12…the chosen group of disciples and apostles who would go everywhere with him and hear every word and be sent out in his name with his power. I assume his time on the mountain helped him choose the right 12 and gave him the guidance he needed to instruct them….the sermon on the mount. Powerful words as a result of a night filled with prayer. He did a lot of healing that morning….”for power was going out from him and he healed them all.”(vs. 19) This was evident enough that it was remembered and recorded. The silence of the night brought healing in the morning. The hours of prayerful communion, led to a filling with power to be disbursed. Cause and effect. This night of prayer reaped a harvest of results…..chosen disciples, powerful healing, and powerful teaching. Jesus was abiding alone in his Father’s presence, absorbing power and truth and spiritual likeness. Communion…joining…becoming one with…preparing. Mountainside loneliness, all night prayer, are hallmarks of abiding in your presence. We must learn to do this! This fits with yesterday’s verse….”steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.” We can’t stop! We must try harder, stay longer, listen more intently, remain in the silence of waiting for as long as it takes. Teach me! Amen.

PRAYER To the mountaintop with God, my Savior leads me home. To the quiet of the Father’s love, where we can be alone. To the place of rest and peace…..this mountaintop of grace, The place my heart has longed for, where I’ll see God face to face.

(5-19-07 Mary Freeman)

Joyful hope, patient endurance, habitual prayer....

Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient under trial, persevere in prayer.” (NAB)

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV)

“Base your happiness on your hope in Christ, when trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.” (Phillips)

“Cheerfully expectant, don’t quit in hard times, pray all the harder.” (MSG)

“Let your hope make you glad, be patient in times of trouble and never stop praying.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father, Three important directions for us to follow. These are part of a list Paul makes telling us to become “living sacrifices.” These are part of our response to God’s mercy. Because you, O LORD, loved us first while we were yet sinners, and sent your Son to die for our salvation, we are forgiven, we have new life. This new life should be evident in new growth, new patterns of living, new attitudes. Verse 11 says to “keep your spiritual fervor in serving the Lord.” Now that we are free and whole and new, our lives should remain fervent, constantly expressing that new life. The hope we have through Jesus Christ should now be the base for our happiness, our joy. Our whole outlook should be one of joyful expectation….”cheerfully expectant”. There is nothing left to be sad about….our hope is secure in Christ! This hope produces the ability to be patient and endure anything the world throws at us. Troubles and trials will still come….maybe more than before…but Christ is with us, we are secure in our future salvation, and home awaits us in the end with you for all eternity! This month’s theme is our “call to prayer”. Paul tells us here to “persevere in prayer”…”be faithful in prayer”…”steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer”…”pray all the harder”…”never stop praying”. All of these are powerful ways to state this great need for us to answer the call to prayer. Our life is now one of communication through the intercession of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit with you, our Father. We are “living sacrifices” ready to obey your will, follow your commands, do your work, live as reborn spiritual beings with our eyes trained on heaven. This requires prayer….constant…non-stop…harder…steadfast and habitual. Talking, listening, being spiritually tuned in, focusing, open and ready. Keep my mind on heaven and my heart secure in my hope in Jesus Christ. Give me patience and a steadfast habit of listening for your voice at all times. Thank you! amen.

Asking, seeking, knocking at the Door....

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and you will receive. Seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” (NAB)

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened for you.”

Heavenly Father, Verse 11 says: “how much more likely is it that your Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him?” If we know how to be “good” to our children, than you, our Heavenly Father, are certainly even more loving, more giving, more generous, more forgiving! Anything “good” on a human scale is multiplied a million times on heaven’s scales! Why do we doubt that you love us or want us? Why do we hesitate to ask? Why don’t we search harder to find answers, to find you? Why don’t we pound on the door and know that you will answer us? You have never shut us out…we have walked away. You continue to give…even your only Son!….but we fail to come to you and ask. You have assured us repeatedly in scripture that “seeking” will find you. Ask, seek, knock. We progress from simply praying for our desires and wants and needs….”asking”, to seeking deeper answers, a deeper relationship, treasures that money won’t buy and the world can’t provide. Finally we “knock” at the Door…”I am the Door….” Asking and seeking eventually leads to wanting to stay, to abide, to belong. We want to live in your presence, and Jesus Christ is the Door of entry. We didn’t build your heavenly “mansion” and we don’t choose the door we enter by. There is only one Door and we either knock there, or we don’t enter. It is your house, your rules. It isn’t like you have made it difficult or unpleasant! Jesus did the suffering. We’ve all been invited. No one earned it, but all can have it. Why do some find it so hard to knock on this Door? Why do we have to “have it our own way”? We are stubborn, independent-minded people. You have every right to expect us to give up our self-control, and show our commitment and our faith. Every prize has a cost…and this one is the greatest prize of all! It is worth anything and everything! All we must do is ask, seek, knock…and it is ours. Home! Thank you! amen.

Listen carefully!.....

Isaiah 55:2 “Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life.” (NAB) “Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.” (NIV) “Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life giving, life-nourishing words.” (MSG) Heavenly Father, “Heedfully”…..”give ear”….”pay attention”. If we heed something we listen attentively with the attitude of obeying. This is stressed twice in this verse….”listen”…”hear me”…”Listen carefully.” It is important that we come close and listen very carefully to every word. If we don’t pay attention we might miss something important. What is it that we are heeding and listening so intently to? The Message says: “life-giving, life-nourishing words.” The others stress life or a soul that lives. We aren’t talking about our natural human life. We are talking about our soul, our eternal life, our salvation. If we want eternal life in God’s presence, we had better “listen up” and pay close attention! If someone was about to tell you how to get a million dollars would you pay attention? Listen closely? Have pen and paper ready to write down the details? Of course you would! Well, the life of our soul is worth more than a million dollars. Eternity is longer than worldly fleeting wealth. The words of our Father, the Word…Jesus Christ, the secrets of the Holy Spirit are “life-giving, life-nourishing”. This is food to live by. Heavenly bread, Bread of Life, Living Water! This is the righteousness we hunger and thirst for that will “fill” us and bless us. Every word we hear from you, O LORD, is a living word, a life-breathing word, a life-nourishing word, a treasure to savor, a secret revealed, a truth to understand! Over and over Jesus told his disciples to “hear!”…”listen”! The Word was speaking to them and they must hear it and understand…their life depended on it, just as ours does! Hear the Word! Heed the Word! Abide in the Word! Follow the Word! Come close now and take it all in and have life eternal! Thank you for Words of life, words eternal, words of truth that we might know you! amen.

Beyond the veil....

2 Corinthians 3:18 “All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces are being transformed from glory to glory into his very image by the Lord who is the Spirit.” (NAB)

“And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with everlasting glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV)

“Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face….” (MSG)

Heavenly Father, Beyond the veil. Jesus lifts the veil that we might see our God and his glory! We have been invited into the “Holy of Holies”…the sacred place of your presence. Only with Christ, only through the cleansing by his blood, can we go there beyond the veil…..”whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (vs. 16) “I am the door…..” (John 10:9) We choose which side of the veil we remain on. When we shut out Christ and remain outside the veil, the door, we have only the law to save us…keeping records, sacrificing endlessly, trying to earn a spot in heaven, trying to be perfect when we can’t, hopelessness. But “beyond the veil”….inside with Christ…we are forgiven, we are washed clean, we are set free! We gaze on Christ’s glory with unveiled faces. His glory reflects on us. We bask in his light. We absorb his Light. We become light as he is Light. We are “transformed” into his likeness. Jesus came to show us his Father. Now we are to show Jesus to others, so that they too may gaze with unveiled faces on the God who loves them and forgives them and sets them free. The Lord, the Spirit changes us. It takes faith and courage to allow the veil to be stripped away. We expose ourselves to the One who sees all. We have to be “seen” if we want to see. A veil separates both parties. We are too “dirty” to step beyond the veil as we are. Passing through Christ is a cleansing process. He removes all the dirt, all the sin, all of the punishments due us. No wonder it is Light on the other side! The darkness is lifted, our death sentence is removed, our eyes and minds can see! Now that we are with Christ in the Light it must make a difference…it must show. Light is obvious when you are in its presence. Even blind eyes can sense light! Lord, let me reflect your light, let it transform me so that others see light in me! Keep my face unveiled that I might see your glory and allow it to shine through me! Thank you! amen.

Climbing the mountain of prayer....

Luke 9:28 “Jesus took Peter, John and James, and went up onto a mountain to pray.” (NAB) “Jesus climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father, Jesus took his three special friends and went up the mountain where they could be alone, uninterrupted to pray. He revealed his glory in their presence. They slept through part of the experience, but awakened to catch a glimpse of this glory and Moses and Elijah. Not anything they were expecting, but important to Jesus. He gathered with these friends for all of his important prayer moments. Praying with close friends present can be a time to reveal ourselves to them in ways they may not expect, but that are necessary for our growth and theirs. Jesus is present when two or three are gathered in his name. You, the Father, were also present and spoke to them on this mountaintop. Jesus drew them into your presence that you might speak to them and reveal things about Jesus they needed to know. Prayer time is a time to listen and learn. We may not always understand …..may even “sleep” through part of what is happening, but our presence there with Jesus in prayer is necessary to hear you speak to us. Always I come back to: “Send forth your Light and your Truth, let them guide me, let them bring me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell.” (Psalm 43:3) You keep sending guides to bring us up the mountain and into your presence. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth when he had to go, so that we would not be alone. Jesus and the Holy Spirit climb the mountain with me into your presence. They are my guides, my friends, my “small group” when no one else is around. They will bring me to a place to listen, where you might reveal things to me. Jesus demonstrated this with Peter, John and James. I won’t always get the message at that time….my worldly eyes are heavy…but you will continue to send Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide me and bring me to you. I must keep climbing the mountain of prayer! Spending time there for the moments of wakefulness when I will catch a glimpse of your glory and understand. Thank you for not giving up on me! Amen.

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June 2, 2007 Matthew 14:23 “With the crowd dispersed, he climbed he mountain, so he could be by himself and pray.” (MSG) “When he had sent them away, he went upon the mountain by himself to pray.” (NAB) CLIMB THE MOUNTAINSIDE OF PRAYER Jesus climbed the mountainside to be alone with God, To find a place of quiet with no one else around. He climbed to leave the world behind, to find a place to pray, Where he could meet his Father, and kneel on “holy ground”. We too must leave the world behind, the worry, stress, and woe, And find a quiet time with God to listen to him speak. To rest our weary bodies, to rest our troubled minds, And find our Father’s peace and love, his “kingdom” there we’ll seek. We cannot learn our Father’s will, or find the strength to win, Until we leave it all behind, and climb that mountainside. We have to get alone with God, and bow our heads in prayer, And there we’ll open wide our hearts and in his love abide. (Mary Freeman 6-2-07)

Praying together in Jesus' name....

Matthew 18:20 “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.” (NAB) “Wherever two or three people have come together in my name, I am there, right among them.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father, A prayer circle. We tend to forget that when we pray with others that Jesus is in the circle with us. “Two or three” becomes three or four with the inclusion of Jesus. We can’t pray “in his name” and exclude him from the proceedings. Where his name goes, he goes. If we are praying according to his Lordship and his redeeming saving grace, than he will be there praying with us. I don’t pray with others often enough and lose the power that is there in communal prayer with Jesus. Jesus always sent the disciples out in twos. Again the power is present in a gathering of two believers. The power of two….an interesting concept. Two to agree, two to guard each others thoughts and actions and words, two to add strength, two to compliment each other’s gifts, two to support each other, two to double the results. Two is the beginning of unity. Two is the beginning of a group of like-minded individuals or a family. Two is the beginning of a Church with the ever-present Christ as head. We are meant to gather to pray together in unity, with a shared belief in the Giver, in the gift we are asking for, and the purpose in Christ’s Church and under his watching authority. “I AM there, right among them”…..God/Christ there , right among them. Is it wrong to pray alone? No---private prayer time is necessary, also. But often Jesus took his disciples or part of them with him to pray. What Jesus did is important for us to do. Big things happen in scripture when groups of believers are “gathered” together to pray…the Holy Spirit came during such a prayer time, and Peter was miraculously freed from prison while believers prayed. Jesus is present giving power and authority to our corporate prayer if it is “in his name”….agreeable to his character and his will. Help me find more ways to pray with 2 or 3 in your name. Send me a small group to pray with. Show your presence in the prayer groups I attend that we might know your will. Thank you for turning our “2 or 3” into “3 or 4” with your presence! amen.

Transformed while praying....

Luke 9:29 “While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothes became dazzlingly white.”

Heavenly Father, Jesus stood on the mount of transfiguration in radiant glory….dazzling white, glorified. Peter, James, John were fighting against heavy sleep (unnatural sleep?), but were allowed to see this transformation of Jesus’ appearance, plus a glimpse of Moses and Elijah. Wow! That must have been a vision of awe they would never forget! When the cloud enveloped them, and they hear your voice speak…”This is my Son! My Chosen! Listen to him!”….they were awed into silence at what they had seen and heard. This was a prayer time like none other. This was “transforming” prayer. This was prayer that brought Jesus into glory, and that changed his appearance. Jesus knew how to enter into your presence in ways we will never accomplish. This was your Son in glorious union with his Father! I never totally understand what happened here, but Jesus was being readied for his work of redemption, his journey to Jerusalem to die for all of us. Transforming prayer. Is something like this possible for us? Certainly not like it was for him, the Son of God, Son of Man. If Jesus is within us, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, should our appearance change when we pray? If we are truly one with You, should Jesus transform us from the inside out? Jesus’ radiance should shine through us. His Light, his glory should be able to penetrate our human form and shine clearly if we are willing to be transformed by his presence. Whenever we pray or act in your will, Jesus’ glory is shining. We catch glimpses of glory in the faces of others when we pull ourselves out of the deep sleep this world tries to befuddle us with. When we allow your presence to envelop us and we listen, we will hear your voice speak to us of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. “While he was praying…” It happens in your presence, in your will, wherever your kingdom has come. Teach me transforming prayer. Show me your glory and your kingdom here and now! Thank you! amen.

Forgiving means not carrying grudges.....

Mark 11:25 “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your faults.” (NAB)

“Whenever you stand praying, you must forgive any grudge you are holding against anyone else and your heavenly Father will forgive you your sins.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

Jesus connects forgiving others with being forgiven. Not holding grudges. Grudges are in exact opposition to love…your kind of love. Loving your enemies, laying down your life for others…none of that can come from an attitude of holding grudges. A grudge is a resentful reminder of when someone “wronged” you. Grudges are tied to revenge seeking. Grudges are about remembering and dwelling on ways people have hurt you. Grudges are about keeping lists…not forgetting. Realistically saying, ”forgive and forget” is easier than doing it. We may think we have forgiven something, but the memory is still there….we don’t forget it. Is that a grudge? I’m not sure. I usually think that I’ve forgiven someone, but if I have, why does the memory of the hurt still linger? Maybe the memory is there to remind us of how we reacted at the time and what we will do if it happens again. Maybe the memory is there to change our attitude. Most of us deal with our hurts by simply walking away from the source of the problem. Is that forgiving or just avoiding? It seems like “avoiding” is still carrying a grudge that makes us wary and breaks a relationship. Forgiving a grudge seems to mean repairing a relationship with the one who harmed us. Forgiving entails putting love in place of the grudge. It’s more than lip-service and forbearance of the offender. Actual forgiving is accepting and loving the offender. Some wrongs are hard to forgive. I’ve never had to face a deep scaring hurt, so I have not been tested. Jesus Christ has. He forgave his enemies from the cross…a grudge none of us will face. He forgave his enemies and you, O Father, have forgiven us for nailing your Son to the cross with our sins. How can we fail to forgive others when we have been forgiven so much? Help me to truly forgive any grudge that I hold, that I might be forgiven and show Christ-like love to others. Thank you, always. Amen.

Becoming absorbed in prayer....

Mark 1:35 “Rising early the next morning, he went off to a lonely place in the desert; there he was absorbed in prayer.” (NAB) “In the early morning, while it was still dark….went off to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” (NIV) “Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and prayed.” (CEV) Heavenly Father, Jesus started his day with deep prayer. He found a lonely, deserted place away from the crowds and prayed until his disciples came looking for him. He could have stayed in bed. He could have prayed with his disciples. He could have waited until later when he was busy and snatched some hurried prayer moments like most of us do. But he chose to get up before everyone else, go some place where he would be least likely to be interrupted, and spend solitary time with you. The NAB says he was “absorbed in prayer.” I like that image….his thoughts totally focused on conversation with You, his whole being directed to listening and worshiping in an abiding relationship. I need to let prayer absorb me. I need to let your presence come into the silence of my lonely deserted place and draw me to you. Too much of my prayer time is focused on my own thoughts, desires, requests, problems. My “deserted place” tends to be crowded with the agenda I bring along with me. Trying to be alone with you in silence to meditate on your words is what this morning time is about for me. But is that the same as being absorbed in prayer? Yes and no. Maybe it is as close as I can get for now. I pray that your words will surround me and teach me. I pray for insights and guidance. I pray for a changed attitude, for spiritual maturity, for an abiding relationship. I must come to you early, while still in the darkness of the world and find your presence in the lonely places of our relationship. I must allow you to absorb my thoughts, my spirit, my soul, my whole being. Lonely places of new recognition, new confrontation, places only I can go to be with you. You will meet me in any place I’m willing to go. When nothing else is there, but you and me, You will absorb me in prayer and I will absorb you in abiding relationship. Help me listen. Help me find absorption. Help me pray. Thank you always in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Finding that out of the way place isn't always what we expect...

Mark 6:31 “Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.” (NAB) “Come with me my yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (NIV) “Come off by yourselves, lets take a break and get a little rest.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

Getting time off to rest isn’t always easy. The disciples had just returned from a “mission trip”….teaching, preaching, healing, ….in the nearby villages where Jesus had sent them. They had come back to report to him about their experiences. I imagine there was a great deal of excitement as well as tiredness present in all of them, and they were surrounded by the usual pressing, insisting crowds that followed Jesus everywhere. No time to talk or eat or even think! We’ve all been there…worn out even though exhilarated with success and just wanting, needing to unwind in peace and quiet. Jesus knew this and proposed a little “down time” away from the crowds. He wanted to be alone with the disciples. But even Jesus’ plans could be thwarted by the world. Their “rest” consisted of a brief boat ride that brought them, not to a deserted resting place, but to a waiting throng of more people in need of Jesus’ ministry! Jesus had compassion on their need and began to teach and give them what was needed…their rest stop became a work stop. Jesus put the needs of others ahead of his own need to rest. Sometimes our need for rest, our need to follow Jesus to an out-of-the-way place to be alone, gets side-tracked by more work. We often resent that. The world seems to pull us in 20 directions at once, and we move from one job to the next. Christian work is very much that way…it is never done, there are never enough workers, and the needs are always urgent and pressing. Christian workers wear out and burn out. Jesus was the one doing the work at this time. The disciples were with him, but he was doing the preaching and teaching. Jesus won’t ignore the needs of others for his own rest. Sometimes we are “along for the ride” whether we want to be or not. A brief boat ride to blow out the cobwebs may be all the rest we get if we stick by Jesus and travel his Way. Our out-of-the-way place may not bring the rest we seek, but Jesus is there with us and he is doing the teaching. He’ll see that we have what we need, even if 5000 people join us on the hillside! Thank you, Lord. Make me less selfish and self-absorbed. May I always put your work first. I know you will give me rest as well as whatever I need for your work. Amen.

Praying in Jesus name....

John 14:14 “Anything you ask in my name, I will do.” (NAB) “You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” (NIV) “And if you ask anything in my name, I will grant it.” (Phillips) “Whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it……Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.” (MSG) Heavenly Father, My first reaction when I read this verse: “Anything you ask in my name, I will do”…..is ‘I doubt it” or ‘No you won’t’. I think the whole problem or confusion comes from the word ”anything”. If I ask for a million dollars I won’t get it. If I ask for you to kill someone you won’t do it. The word “anything” has to be attached to the qualifier…”in my name”. Asking for money and material things and bad things, would not be asking “in my name”. We have no right to link the name of Jesus to earthly selfish desires. What does “in my name” mean? I think the Message shows it most clearly…”along the lines of who I am and what I am doing”. Jesus’ name is connected to Jesus’ work. Jesus is our Lord. Jesus is our Savior. Asking in the name of the One who can save us and who becomes our Master is asking salvation and Lordship into a situation or into someone’s life. Jesus will always respond as a Lord and a Savior. If I pray with complete faith in his Lordship and his Salvation, he will answer. His work was to obey and glorify the Father. Asking in his name will also be in obedience to the Father’s will and will glorify the Father. I still find some confusion. I pray for many lost souls who need Jesus and need to be saved. Isn’t this “in your name”? Is my faith too weak? Do I give up too soon? Do I not wait patiently and with expectation? Do we try too hard to just use these words as a “magic formula” that saves us the work of doing something ourselves in a situation? You have already saved those I pray for, so you have fulfilled your part. What I’m actually praying for is that they will accept and recognize your finished work of salvation, through your Son, Jesus Christ. I’m asking for changed hearts. How do I make this a prayer “in your name”? Teach me more. Give me stronger faith. Help me understand more fully. “I do believe, help my unbelief”! amen.

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray....

Romans 8:26-27 “The Spirit too helps in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in speech.” (NAB)

“The Spirit also helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonizing longings, which cannot find words. He who knows the heart’s secrets understands the Spirit’s intention as he prays according to God’s will for those who love him.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father, One thing is clear here about prayer. The Holy Spirit helps us in our “weakness” or “present limitations”. The pull of the world tends to ground us, keeping us tethered to worldly ideas and concepts and worldly time frames. But the Holy Spirit knows heavenly things, heavenly timelessness and can reach beyond our limited knowledge and understanding. The Holy Spirit helps us in prayer. When we sit in confusion, not knowing the words to say or even able to express our thoughts, the Holy Spirit can gather our feelings and longings and unintelligible groanings and turn them into prayer. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are always One. They can transcend any limits, any weakness of ours and turn our faith and hope into prayer. When we feel our prayers are hopeless, our prayers are unworthy, our prayers are too confused or unfocused to be of any use, the Holy Spirit can intercede for us. What we don’t know or can’t say, he can and does. Our call is to come in prayer with faith, hope, and love through our Savior, Jesus Christ, trusting and expecting answers. Our work is to pray, and your work, O LORD, is to hear and understand and act in accord with your holy will. You tell us to ask, to seek, to knock. Our worldly minds often ask the wrong things, seek the wrong answers, and knock persistently on the wrong doors. But the Holy Spirit can turn our prayers of faith, hope, love into prayer that asks, seeks and knocks on our Father’s heart. If Christ is within us, the Holy Spirit is there guiding our prayers. Both intercede for us in your presence. Hear the groanings and sighs of my heart that I can’t express in intelligible thought! Hear my faith, my hope, my love and express them for me. Turn my mute, blocked heart secrets into expressions of love in faith in Jesus Christ. Turn my hopes into expectation of your loving answers! Thank you, Holy Spirit for helping intercede when I don’t know how to pray. Amen.

Teach us to pray.....

Luke 11:1 “Lord, teach us to pray.” Heavenly Father, Holy is your name! May your kingdom come and your will be done. Give us today what we need to live. Forgive us our failures, as we forgive those who fail us. Keep us from temptation. Give us thy Holy Spirit. These are the things Jesus tells his disciples in answer to this question about how to pray. Praise, provision, protection, peace, your presence. Lord, teach me to pray these things daily. Jesus also speaks of persistence…keep asking, seeking, knocking. Prayer is so confusing at times! We feel we don’t do it right. We ask, not knowing your will. We beg. We hurry. We do all the talking, never listening. We want this connection with you so desperately, but feel like we never quite get it right. Listening is so hard! Our humanity drowns out your voice. Our “needs” clamor at us. Our idea of persistence is mixed up and badly applied. We forget to praise and thank you. We have good intentions, but poor follow through. Other snippets of prayer instructions flit through my mind….pray for all the saints, pray for workers for the harvest, pray continually and in all things, the Holy Spirit intercedes when we don’t know how. I freely confess that I often don’t know how to pray…or when to pray…or who to pray for…or what to ask for. I only know I believe you are there listening…always. I believe you understand me better than I understand myself. I believe you know my heart longings, my hurts, my doubts, my sins. I believe if I come every day and wait quietly for you, that you will speak in some way that I will understand. I believe it is important for me to try to pray, to pour out my heart, to lift others to the only source of hope they have, to express my love for them in prayer not knowing how you will answer, but expecting that you will. I fail like Peter, James and John to “watch with you” as you pray. Forgive me. Teach me how to pray! I’ll keep asking. Thank you for your patience and your presence. Amen.