Listening in prayer.....

1 Samuel 3:9  “Speak, Lord for your servant is listening.”

Matthew 11:29  “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.”

Heavenly Father,

“Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”  This is the perfect posture for prayer…..listening for Your voice.  When we hear You calling us, we are to become silent and wait for You to speak.  We invite you to speak to us by our response to your call, by making ourselves available to listen.  Most of us find it very difficult to get quiet enough to hear You.  The noise of the world is so loud.  Our lives are tuned to so many things that we can’t shut our minds down to just listen.  The posture here is not only one of listening, but also of a servant.  We are ready to obey what we hear, to act on it, to follow through.  We acknowledge that our LORD, the One who is speaking to us is supreme.  We aren’t waiting to listen and than decided how we feel about it…..but to listen and than obey.  Listening is readiness to serve. 

The companion verse is Jesus speaking to us about taking “his yoke” upon us.  He says, “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.”  You spoke to us in the person of Jesus Christ…..the Word.  We are meant to listen and learn from all Jesus said and did.  To be yoked to Jesus is to be tied to him, sharing the weight of the burden.  Jesus is “gentle and humble of heart”, and assures us “you will find rest for your souls.”  Being yoked to Jesus not only shares the burden, but shares the strength to bear it.  We will take on Jesus’ humility and gentleness.  Jesus obeyed Your will always.  Jesus always had the attitude of, “speak, Father, for your servant is listening.”  Learning while yoked to Jesus will help transmit this gentle humble posture to us.  Once again….abiding….oneness of heart, mind, spirit.  Resting in Your presence, finding peace there and “rest for our souls”.  You speak, we listen with a spirit ready to obey, we learn from Jesus and yoke ourselves to him to share and lighten the burden, we find rest for our souls.  I'm not good at getting quiet to listen, but I know You will continue to teach me if I try to listen for your voice.  Thank you!  Amen

Maintain the habit of prayer.......

Col. 4:2  “Pray perseveringly, be attentive in prayer, and pray in a spirit of thanksgiving.”  (NAB)

“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.  When you pray keep alert and be thankful.” (CEV)

Heavenly Father,

Over and over scripture stresses how important prayer is and the need to do it…..”perseveringly”…..”devote yourselves”……”maintain the habit”…..”diligently”…..”never give up”.  These are phrases that cry out for an exclamation point following them and heavy underlining as a reminder.  Urgency is a keynote of prayer.  To be diligent, to devote ourselves to something takes it out of the realm of casualness and into the realm of serious work.  We live busy lives in a fast paced world and we tend to treat prayer like we do everything else.  We dash off quick sentences at odd moments while occupied with other tasks, we race through lists of intercessory requests, we hurl bits of scripture and words of quick thanks as we head for our next “chore.”  Always “doing”, never waiting….listening….”devoting ourselves to prayer”.  Prayer is too important to treat as nothing more than “duty”.  Prayer is relationship, connection, soul food, abiding.  I started this book to learn to abide.  Abiding is living in something or someone.  Abiding is finding “home” and remaining there forever.  Prayer is a key to abiding.  If I devote myself to prayer, if I am diligent in my praying, if I always “maintain the habit of prayer”, if I “never give up praying”…..than I will have learned to abide.  I will find that blessed state that Jesus found….”I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”  This type of prayer, this abiding relationship requires alertness….watching.  It is so easy to lose focus, to drift in apathy, to become distracted by other things…both good and bad.  We are to be “attentive” in prayer…..eyes wide open.  And lastly we pray “in a spirit of thanksgiving”…..grateful.  Prayer is a privilege that Jesus paid for in blood…..direct access to our Father in heaven, free from our sin and sentence of death.  Children coming to their loving Father.  Children abiding in the house of grace, now our “home”.  Thanks in Christ floods over all our praying…..wells of gratitude, springs of eternal hope!  Thank you!  Amen.

Watch and pray.....

Matthew 26:41  “Be on guard, and pray that you may not undergo the test.” (NAB)

“Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.”  (NIV)

“Watch and pray all of you, that you may not have to face temptation.” (Phillips)

“Stay alert, be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you are in danger.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

"Watch and pray".....words to live by.  Jesus prayed these words while facing his own greatest temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane.......the temptation to not obey Your will, to not go the cross for all of us.  Our greatest temptations always involve not obeying Your will for us.  Often we don't even seek Your will.  We wander through life with an "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" or "don't ask, don't tell" sort of attitude.  If we ignore checking whether our will is in accord with Your will, than we feel we can plead ignorance and innocence.  But You see into our hearts and You will not conform to our will, but patiently wait for us to conform to Yours.  Jesus warns us to be on guard, alert to the danger of not seeking Your will.  We are to "watch".....keep our eyes open for the subtle ways that evil will tempt us away from Your will.  "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  We really want to be in right relationship with You, and to obey your will, but as humans we still falter, still hesitate, still try to operate within our own "free will".  Is our free will better than Your will, bought and paid for with Christ's blood?  NO!  Your will cost Jesus everything.  No wonder he urges his sleeping disciples to "watch and pray!"  Jesus knew first hand the danger of temptation, the weight of trials, the burden of obedience.  He died to save us from ourselves, from our much prized "free will", from our apathy to our danger from the Evil One.  Our alertness, our watching and praying, is necessary to protect us from dangers that creep up on us from all sides.  Jesus indicates here that prayer can keep us from "falling into temptation", just as it kept him in Your will.  Praying unlocks the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  Praying keeps our lifeline securely fastened to the throne of heaven.  Praying keeps us alert, forewarned, armed for danger, and within a heartbeat of all the help we ever need.  Amen

Pray in the Spirit.....

Ephesians 6:18  “At every opportunity pray in the Spirit, using prayers of every sort.  Pray constantly and attentively for all in the holy company.”  (NAB)

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Pray in the Spirit…..this is how we should pray.  Jesus left us the Holy Spirit as a guide, a counselor, to teach us, to help us, to pray when we can’t pray.  Most of us are somewhat confused by the Holy Spirit.  We understand “God the Father”…..high in heaven, Creator, Almighty!”  We understand Jesus…..the Son of God/Son of Man who walked and talked like us.  We sidestep the Holy Spirit quite often because we can’t see him or imagine him or know exactly what he does in us and for us. 

 Leading up to today’s verse we are told to “take….the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”.  The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word as a weapon in battle against Satan and the world.  This is Father (God), Son (Word), and Holy Spirit working in great unity to protect us.  God’s Word is our one offensive weapon.  The Holy Spirit helps us wield it effectively .  If we “pray in the Spirit” we are open to his guidance, his truth (Spirit of Truth), his power, his will.  I don’t pretend to fully understand how the Spirit works in me to use my will in accordance with Your will!  But I long to be fully controlled by the Holy Spirit to do Your will always! 

Our prayers, with the Spirit’s guidance are to be at “every opportunity” …..”constantly” …..”on all occasions” …..”of every sort”.  This is another prayer habit to form.  Being totally open to the Spirit to work in us.  We are to be “alert” and “attentive” as we pray.  Your will is found in Your Word.  Your Word is found in scripture.  We arm ourselves for battle when we are heavily armed with scripture….knowing it, understanding it, living it.  Our prayers are for “the holy company” or “all the saints”.  We pray in Spirit for all who are Yours and doing Your work.  We pray for those who plant, who water, who reap.  We pray for those who “prepare the soil”.  We pray for pastors, teachers, disciples, apostles, evangelists, leaders, and believers.  The entire family of the Church needs constant prayer and vigilance and the protection of the Holy Spirit with the sword of the Word leading us onward.  Thank you, Holy Spirit!  amen

"Never cease praying"......

1 Thes. 5:16-18  “Rejoice always, never cease praying, render constant thanks, such is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (NAB)

“Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (NIV)

“Be cheerful no matter what, pray all the time, thank God no matter what happens.  This is the way God wants you, who belong in Christ Jesus to live.”  (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

Three elements of living in Christ Jesus….rejoice, pray, give thanks.  Each of these is commanded, not only to do them, but to do them “always”….”constantly”….”continually”…..”never ceasing”…..”no matter what”…….”all the time”.  They are to become habits, or a natural part of our life.  If we “belong to Christ Jesus” it should be reflected in how we live.  This is “what God wants”.  You want us to be so identified with Jesus Christ and the life we have in him because of grace, that we are always happy, always praying, and always thankful. 

Every Christian struggles with the question of “what is God’s will?”  Here we are clearly told that these 3 things are “God’s will for you”.  We don’t have to struggle and question these things…..just do them!  But…..You can’t force happiness, prayer shouldn’t be just a duty, and thanks isn’t just a learned response.  These are things You will for us, as part of our walk with Jesus.  You designed us to be happy, to rejoice.  You created us to pray, to have a relationship with You.  You want us to feel thankful because we know we are blessed with all we need and that our future salvation is secure in Jesus Christ.  If we don’t evidence joy, prayer, and thanks in our lives, than we need to question exactly what is the state of our relationship with You.  Do we really believe and trust?  Have we truly recognized what grace is and its impact on our personal life?  Do we really desire heaven and You?  Who do we really say Jesus is?  If our response to these questions is in line with Your will and purpose we will abound with joy, “babble” all day in prayerful thoughts, and learn to see the blessings we should be thankful for in all of our circumstances!  We “ask, seek, knock” so that we will “rejoice, pray, give thanks.”  You are our God!  Jesus is our Savior!  Holy Spirit abides within us!  Thank you!  Hallelujah!  Praise the LORD!  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)

 Heavenly Father,

Jesus is your beloved Son….”on whom my favor rests”.  Jesus did everything You wanted him to do.  He fulfilled his purpose in accord with your will.  No one else has done that ever.  No other human has reached that perfection level.  No other human abides that closely with You, the Father.  You tell us very plainly here….”Listen to Him!”  We aren’t perfect, can never be perfect on our own…but we can learn, we can change, we can come to know Jesus is an abiding relationship that will make us more Christ-like.  He makes us what we aren’t by nature.  Listening is always the starting place.  Listening to Jesus means hearing his voice as he speaks the words of scripture.  Letting him direct his teachings at us, just as he did his disciples, the crowds, the Pharisees.  We are all of those people!  We are the woman at the well, weary from our daily grind, carrying heavy bags of sin, seeking to find one who will give us “living water”, so we will never be thirsty again!.  We are Zacchaeus climbing a tree eagerly to see the One who might come home with us and change our lives.  We are the blind man begging to see.  We are the lepers wanting to be made clean.  We are the rich ruler wanting heaven, but not quite willing to pay the price of all we have.  We are the Pharisees closing our ears and placing burdens on others.  We are the worriers in need of watching the lilies and the birds and learning that you will provide for us.  We are the fisherman minding our jobs when you suddenly say, “follow me” and draw us toward something life-changing.  We are the ones who beg you to save our dying sons and daughters.  We are the ones sitting on the hillside wanting to learn, to hear words of hope.  We are the woman caught in sin, ashamed, condemned…..pardoned!  We are Mary, we are Martha, we are Peter, we are Nicodemas.  We are hungry and thirsty for righteousness and need to listen to the One who can give us rest from our burdens, hope of salvation, peace……words to heal us, save us, change us.  “LISTEN TO HIM!”  Only He, has the words of life!  Amen.

"Ask...seek....knock"..........

Matthew 7:7-8  “Ask, and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.  For the one who asks, receives, the one who seeks, finds, the one who knocks, enters.”

Heavenly Father,

Ask, seek, knock.  Three things to do in prayer.  How do we ask, seek, and knock?  What does it mean?  We are given assurance that if we ask, seek and knock, that we will receive, find, enter.  We all ask for many things in our prayers everyday……..but we don’t receive all that we ask for.  So what does it really mean?  Perhaps, I need to go further in this passage.  It continues:  “Which of you, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”  What we receive are “good gifts” from our Father.  When we ask, You give us “god gifts”….perhaps they are not the gifts we ask specifically for.  You know our needs.  You won’t give us a stone if we need bead.  You won’t give us a snake if we need fish.  You won’t give us what is on no use.  When we ask we are trusting in your wisdom to provide what is needed.  When we seek, you promise that we will find.  Seeking will always allow us to find You, no matter what else we seek.  The act of coming to You is a basic form of seeking.  We have made a choice to call on our God for answers.  We have directed our seeking towards someone.  If we seek You, You will be there for us to find and we will be aware of your presence.  Knocking requires a door.  Jesus is “The Door”.  Once we reach a point of knocking on “The Door”, we will definitely enter!  Jesus has come precisely for that purpose….to help us enter into salvation and eternal life.  There is a progression here from just asking, to actively seeking, and finally knocking on the only Door that we must enter.  The nuances of “asking” still elude me, but I know if I seek and knock that nothing else will matter!  Entering is the goal!  Your presence is where I long to abide!  When I ask, seek, knock, I draw closer in trust and faith to that abiding relationship I want!  Thank you.  Amen.

"Never stop praying"......

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

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

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

Heavenly Father,

Three things to focus on:  a joyful hope, patiently enduring trials, and faithfully praying.  The order seems backwards to me…if we faithfully pray, never stopping, than we can patiently endure our trials and afflictions, our “hard times”.  This will than lead us to a joyful hope, a cheerful expectancy, happiness, gladness.  I guess the three things are so well intertwined that we can’t really separate them or put them in an order.  Praying, patiently enduring, and joyful hoping are all important to our daily walk with You. 

To take them in Paul’s order, we began with hope and rejoicing.  Hope is a very Christian word.  Hope is faith with expectation, based on a solid foundation and focusing on a sure future.  We are told to rejoice in hope!  Joy is another Christian word and is part of the fruit of the Spirit.  When Christ is our Savior and the Holy Spirit is within us, we will know joy….joy that comes from grace, joy that knows we are loved and accepted, joy based on Jesus Christ.  Our joy and hope are mixed together in Jesus Christ.  Because we have a solid foundation for our hope, than we can be patient in trials or afflictions.  Nothing will stand between us and our sure future!  We know trials will come, but our hope in Christ, will help us endure.  Patience is another fruit of the Spirit, another result of our indwelling by the Holy Spirit left us by Jesus Christ.  Prayer is both a result and a source for both patience and joy.  We pray to strengthen our joy, our hope, our patience.  We also pray because we have joy, hope patience.  Prayer keeps us focused on You, the Father, on our heavenly home, on building a relationship with You.  It also opens us up to the Holy Spirit and his leading.  Prayer acknowledges our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and offers thanks for his grace.  Prayer is worship.  Prayer is our permanent connection to You.  Prayer is our offering.  “Never Stop Praying” says it all!  Prayer is food and life for our souls.  Thank you! Amen.

Being in the presence of Jesus.........

Luke 9:33 “Master, how good it is for us to be here.” (NAB)

“Master, it is wonderful for us to be here.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

These words are spoken by Peter on the mountain where Jesus has just been transfigured.  Peter wakes from a deep sleep to see Jesus aglow, shining with “glory”, and Moses and Elijah with him.  What a sight that must have been to awaken to!  There must have been a befuddled sense of, “am I dreaming?” about the situation.  Peter speaks…of course….”Master, how good it is for us to be here!”  Who knows what he meant…I doubt that he knew himself…and he stumbles on about wanting to erect tents for the 3 of them.  But his words have meaning for us.  He calls Jesus, Master.  Jesus is our Lord, our Master, and recognition of this is always a good starting place.  He is “the boss”….the one in charge, the one we follow and learn from, the one we seek to obey.  As Peter says, it is “good” or “wonderful” to be here, in Jesus’ presence.  We have the opportunity to see Jesus transfigured and robed in glory.  We have the opportunity to see Moses and Elijah joined with Jesus.  We have the opportunity to hear his Father’s voice speak from the clouds and to feel the awe of your presence, as You tell us, “This is my Son, my chosen!  Listen to him!”  When we come to You in prayer in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we too can see this glory.  We can abide in the presence of Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and seek our Master’s voice.  Jesus tells us, “when a man loves me, he follows my teaching. Then my Father will love him, and we will come to that man and make our home within him.” (John 14:20)  We don’t need to seek You on mountaintops…you will come to us when we love and obey You.  Jesus, the Master, our Savior, your Son, the Chosen One, makes this possible.  “It is good for us to be here!”  Jesus has blessed us with a Door into your presence forever!  Amen.

Climbing the mountain of prayer.....

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

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

Heavenly Father,

Once again Jesus goes to the mountain to pray.  Why always the mountain side?  Just because it was a deserted place away from people?  Or because the higher up the mountain he went, the closer he felt to You?  Perhaps he remembered David’s Psalm 43:3…”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!”  You spoke to Moses on the mountaintops as well.  Mountains seem high and lofty like You…closer to heaven.  Mountains are as far away from the world as we can get.  Mountains seem like a fitting “dwelling place” for the Most High God!  Whatever the reason, Jesus seeks the solitude of your presence on the mountain sides.  There he “spent the night in communion with God.”  Most translations say simply “prayer”, but the word “communion” seems much deeper.  Communion is seeking a oneness, an abiding relationship.  Prayer is often turned by us into “asking”….begging, petitioning.  To spend the night in communion with You was a time of listening, meditation, becoming one with your will.  Jesus was about to choose his 12 disciples from his many followers.  This mountaintop time of communion was a time of listening to know your will and your guidance.  Praying all night seems impossible to us.  Like the disciples we would surely fall asleep!  Jesus, however often prayed all night.  His communion with You must have been very intense.  We call the sacrament of bread and wine….”communion”.  Our time of “remembering” and sharing Jesus’ blood and body.  Jesus’ time on the mountaintop in prayer is communion as well…a sacrament of oneness with his Father, a time made sacred by your presence, a time of intimate sharing.  Teach me to commune with You on the mountaintop, as Jesus did, to find an abiding relationship of all night prayer.  Teach me to preface my decisions with time spent in communion in your presence.  Thank you.  amen.

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)

“While it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a deserted place and there he prayed.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

“There he was absorbed in prayer.”  This was the only translation I have that mentions Jesus’ absorption in prayer.  Perhaps the others feel that mentioning that he arose early, before dawn, and sought a lonely deserted spot to do his praying was enough to give the idea of absorption.  Jesus was committed to this time of prayer.  He was driven to and by it.  He chose it willingly and eagerly.  He lost himself in his quiet time of prayer.  Absorbed….”soaked up” by the praying he was doing….becoming a part of it….abiding in his Father’s presence.  Oneness.  It always comes back to abiding and oneness.  Separated from the world, joined with the Father.  After this prayer time Jesus tells his disciples….with renewed vigor…that they will go to the neighboring towns to deliver his message because “that’s why I came.”  His time absorbed in prayer, prepared him for his mission.  He was “soaking up” your will and making it his.  I see something more in the Phillips translation…”while it was still dark”…while the world was lost in darkness and sin under penalty of death.  “Jesus got up”….Jesus made the choice to obey his Father’s will.  “Left the house”….turned from the Jews and religious leaders who had hardened their hearts.  “And went off to a solitary place (or deserted place)”….the hill of Calvary was a solitary place, a deserted place, and his mission was a lonely solitary mission.  “And there he prayed”….on the cross his life became a prayer for all mankind.  A prayer for forgiveness.  A prayer of salvation and atonement.  A prayer of sacrifice. A prayer we now call grace.  The following verses even seem to fit this interpretation….Simon and the others search for him and find him and Jesus leads them out to the neighboring villages to “give my message there too…that is why I have come.”  Wow!  A pre-picture of Jesus’ work completed.  Thank you, O LORD!  Amen.

Praying earnestly.......

Luke 22:44  “In his anguish he prayed with all the greater intensity.” (NAB)

“He prayed on all the harder.  Sweat wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.” (MSG)

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Jesus prayed in great anguish.  This was his greatest struggle accepting your will and the cross.  When faced with his greatest struggle, Jesus prayed that much harder.  His strength lay in his relationship with you.  That relationship is built in prayer.  Jesus was striving to be as close to you as possible.  His human body was already a form of separation from you and now he faced accepting total separation when he died with all the sins of the world weighing him down.  Jesus had the perfect abiding relationship with you.  He prayed that we would find that same relationship of abiding:  “that they may be one as we are one…I in them and you in me”.  The relationship of “oneness” with you is the goal we seek…knowing and accepting your perfect will in all things.  Jesus was our Door to this abiding oneness and the Holy Spirit indwells us to make it complete.  In our times of anguish, we too, need to pray “with all the greater intensity”.  Jesus prayed so hard he appeared to sweat blood!  We have no real experience of that sort of intense prayer.  Tears are perhaps the equivalent for us.  When our prayer time results in tears, than we are intensely praying.  When we reach a state of “anguish”….a state of hopelessness to the point of knowing we must pray, we must have an answer, we must rely on You for a solution because we have none of our own.  “Thy will be done.”  Submission to your will.  Acceptance of your plan and your outcome…even if we don’t understand it.  Jesus knew where the answers lay…in your perfect will.  Jesus knew how to get there…in fervent prayer.  Jesus knew the joy and peace of a perfect abiding relationship with his Father and sought it through prayer.  Thank you for the teaching of Jesus Christ, our example as well as our Savior!  Amen.

Praying by himself......

Luke 9:18 “One day when Jesus was praying in seclusion….” (NAB)

“While Jesus was praying by himself, having only the disciples with him.” (Phillips)

Mark 6:31  “Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.”

“Now come along to some quiet place by yourselves, and rest for awhile” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

Jesus praying by himself is often mentioned in the scriptures.  The disciples are “nearby” and thus witness this to tell us about it.  He was an example for them that they learned to follow.  He lived what he wanted them to model later on when he was gone.  In the Mark verse the disciples have just returned from being sent out to teach repentance, drive out evil spirits, heal…empowered by Jesus to do this.  Now Jesus tells them they need rest, they need a “quiet place by themselves.”  Just as Jesus used the quiet places alone to rest, refresh himself, and commune in prayer with his Father, so do his followers. 

The quiet times with You are learning times.  Times when we are filled after being emptied.  Time to regain our focus on You, our commitment to your work, our desires to seek your will and not rely on our own.  Too often church people don’t find the quiet time alone.  We don’t even seek them  We are too busy "doing" and too little praying.  I find myself during the quiet times feeling guilty that I’m not doing something for you!  I never feel I’ve done enough.  Quiet time feels like it is too much for me and too little for You!  I enjoy quiet times like this morning journal time.  I learn.  I grow in wisdom. Teach me not to feel guilty about seeking quiet time with You!  During Jesus’ quiet time in the Luke verse he asks his disciples who “they think he is and Peter gives his insightful answer….”You are God’s Christ!”  Peter found that faith, that answer, during the quiet time.  Time to think and meditate on what he had seen and heard Jesus say and do.  Jesus’ quiet times were also his disciples quiet times.  When their Master rested, so did they.  We are to learn from Jesus.  When Jesus prays, we must be “nearby” listening and learning.  Father, keep me close enough to listen, to learn, to be filled for your work.  Thank you!  amen.

Praying on the mountainside........

Mark 6:46  “When he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain top to pray.” (NAB)

“When he had sent them all on their way, we went off to the hillside to pray” (Phillips)

“After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

Jesus dismisses everyone….sending the disciples off on the boat…and sending the well-fed crowd home for the night.  I can almost hear him say….”alone, at last!”  Jesus was constantly surrounded by people.  Even though it was his mission to teach and heal and prepare people for the Good News of the kingdom of Heaven, it must have been a very physically and emotionally, tiring life.  You can feel his need for prayer and solitude….for his quiet times alone with You on the mountainside in prayer.  Away from the demanding crowds.  Away from the threatening Pharisees who were always trying to trip him up.  Away from the accusations of the religious leaders.  Away from the disciples who didn’t really understand what it was all about.  Away from the women who followed along faithfully. Just seeing all these people constantly around him must have been a heavy weight to bear.  He knew what was coming.  He know that every burden they bore, was bout to be put on his shoulders.  His mountainside times were his lifeline!  He needed as many hours as possible alone with You.  I can sense what it must have been like to just “get away”….kneeling on the lonely hillside, surrounded in silence except for the night sounds of nature, feeling the breeze refresh and relax him. But most of all quiet time to abide in your presence.  At an early age Jesus stated his preference to “be in my Father’s house”.  Jesus more than anyone knew how to shut out the world and draw close to You.  His strength, his resolve, his willingness to obey, his sinless state, were all fed in those quiet moments on the mountaintops alone with You.  We use the term “mountain top experiences” to refer to times we have felt closest to You and most in touch with your leading.  Jesus knew the necessity of seeking those times.  He was drawn to his Father’s love at all times.  Jesus dismissed the world and led us to a mountaintop full of grace.  Thank you!  amen.

May 19, 2007

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.

 (Mary Freeman)

"Jesus was at prayer after likewise being baptized".......

Luke 3:21 “When all the people were baptized and Jesus was at prayer after likewise being baptized, the sky opened and the Holy spirit descended on him in a visible form like a dove.”

Heavenly Father,

Jesus prayed after his baptism.  He had no sins to repent, but he was baptized because You willed it. He had no sin of his own, but took on all the sins of the world.  Jesus’ prayer is always a prayer of obedience to your will.  All he did conformed to what you planned.  Why baptism?  Baptism symbolizes washing away sin.  Jesus became our baptism.  We are washed in Him.  Jesus’ acceptance of your will in baptism, begins his ministry of acceptance of your will in all things.  You marked him at his baptism as: “your Son, who you love, with whom you are well pleased.”  The Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove.  Jesus needed the Holy spirit before going into the desert for 40 days of temptation by Satan.  You empowered him for his mission when he obeyed your will. Satan wanted Jesus more than any other human being.  This was the King’s Son….God’s Son…the Messiah!  40 days of temptation must have been horribly intense.  Jesus’ prayers prepare him for temptation.  Jesus’ prayer results in the Holy spirit coming to support him.  You bless those who obey and pray.  You affirm our willingness to follow your will. 

 I sense a “future” connotation to this event.  “When all the people were baptized”…..when all come to Christ and acknowledge his work of grace, his son-ship, his role as Savior….that is when “the sky will open” and the Holy Spirit descend and acknowledge the work Christ completed.  You acknowledge him as your Son, who you love, who you are well pleased with for his willingness to complete the work he came to do for all mankind.  “The sky opened”…..grace!  A visible blessing for the Son who saves us all.  Jesus will come from the sky in the second coming.  The skies will once more open in acknowledgment of the King of Kings, when all the people are baptized by the grace of Jesus Christ.  Jesus continues to pray for that work through his church.  Thank you!   amen.

DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE 

The sky opened up and the Spirit came down,

Descending like a dove,

To land on the One….God’s only Son,

Who would bring us God’s perfect love.

The sky opened up and love floated down

To anoint the King of Kings,

The Father’s chosen….the perfect Lamb,

Love borne on those heavenly wings.

Jesus Christ filled with God’s love

Died on the cross for me,

Through his wounded side, God’s love poured out

Grace…..to set me free!

Luke 3:21  “…..the sky opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a visible form like a dove.”

Christ prays for our unity.....

John 17:20 “I pray also for those who believe in me through their word, that all may be one as you Father are in me and I in you, I pray that they may be one in us.”(NAB)

“I’m praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of them, and their witness about me.  The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind just as you Father, are in my and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

“That all may be one, “ or “For all to become one heart and mind”.  Jesus prays for our unity, our oneness with each other and with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  What better time than on a Sunday to meditate on these words!  Jesus never intended for us to be divided.  I don’t believe he wants us to sit in separate half-empty buildings, clinging to traditions and rituals and past accomplishments.  Jesus prays for us for a reason….a goal of oneness and the work we can accomplish together.  With this prayer for us is an additional prayer….”for those who believe in me because of them and their witness about me.”  Our work for Christ is the focus of this prayer.  Every disciple of Christ who is working and witnessing for Christ merits his prayer.  The world can’t hear without us.  The world can’t know about Christ without our witness.  Our ability to believe and act as one body is important to Christ’s work…..”to become one heart and one mind”.  We are to achieve the oneness that is found in Father, Son, Holy Spirit….a oneness of will (mind), a ones of life (heart), a ones of spirit (your Holy Spirit) that we might witness to a fallen world of desperate souls who need to find you!  How can the world see Christ and his body if we don’t achieve this oneness?  Forgive our foolish time-wasting attitudes!  Forgive our pride in our buildings and our numbers and our pasts!  Forgive us our closed minded attitudes that prevent unity and oneness of the Body of Christ!  Show us how to achieve unity!  Show us how to work and worship together!  Send us forth to witness, to pray, to teach, to preach, to show Jesus Christ to the world in ones of heart and mind!  Please always pray for us with the power of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit!  We need your heavenly prayer!  Amen.

"That the world may believe"......

John 17:21  “That all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you; I pray that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (NAB)

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the blessings that come to us through Jesus Christ and his prayers for us!  Our unity is important to our witness.  Jesus prays that his Church…the Body of Christ….will have unity among its members and unity in an abiding relationship with Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  How do we do this?  In some part of us, we do worship as members of the same Body of Christ, but we allow ourselves to be distracted by putting our faith into “pigeon holes” that we call denominations.  We water down the effectiveness of our unity by clinging to buildings, to minor differences of scriptural interpretation, to rituals and traditions, to memories of past accomplishments.  How do we break down these barriers and work together?  We obviously need many buildings, many preachers, many teachers.  How do we have these things so we can work where needed, but not let them turn into the most important thing?  How do we keep our focus on unity in Christ?  I want to be part of a church that is His church doing his work.  I want to be in a church that works with other churches to serve him.  If Jesus prayed for our unity than it is important.  If Paul wrote chapters on unity than it is important.  Prepare us for your work in unity.  Teach us together in unity.  Draw us into an abiding unity with Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Use groups like Tres Dias* and Kairos* and any ecumenical gathering of the Body to bring unity to your work.  Witness through our unity.  We all want to the world to believe that Jesus Christ in Lord!  Break down our barriers and strengthen our unity.  Make us one that we may witness to the world in the name of Jesus Christ!   Amen.

*Tres Dias is an ecumenical spiritual 3 day weekend retreat designed to strengthen leadership.  Kairos is an ecumenical 3 day prison ministry to lead offenders to Christ and change their lives.

Deserted places, out-of-the-way places, where he could be alone, lonely places.......

May 17, 2007Luke 5:16  “He often retired to deserted places and prayed.” (NAB)

“He slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer” (Phillips)

“As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” (MSG)

 

“But Jesus would often go to someplace where he could be alone and pray.” (CEV)

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

This passage represents to me the picture of Jesus at prayer.  One key word is “often”.  Jesus made a habit of getting away from the world for prayer.  No one can spend as much time as we should in prayer….not even Jesus….but we can try to make it an “often” experience.  Something we long for, seek out, crave, the source of our strength, our satisfaction, our refreshment, our escape from the world.  Jesus didn’t make a big thing of this “quiet time”….he just slipped away quietly from the crowds to find his “prayer closet” where he could be alone with You, the Father.  Jesus was under great stress and physical strain…constantly moving about, pressed on all sides by those seeking his physical healing power rather than his spiritual healing powers, striving to preach the kingdom to people who didn’t understand, escaping the wrath of the Pharisees until the chosen time, teaching his disciples.  A time alone must have been wonderful!  Each of the translations accents this idea a little differently…”deserted places”….”out-of –the-way places”….”somewhere he could be alone”….”lonely places”.  I get different vibes from each of these!

1.  Deserted places makes me think of wastelands, deserts, places no one else wants to be, where no one survives easily….empty places, harsh places.  Jesus’ entire ministry was aimed at “deserted places” and people, but it starts with his prayerful relationship to his Father, so it seems very appropriate.  Jesus goes where “no man has gone before”…willingly.

2.  Out-of-the-way places….off the beaten track, strange lands, unfamiliar territory, hideaways, back-waters, inconvenient places.  Jesus wasn’t afraid of places no one else wanted to be.  He went “out-of-the-way”….to pray about being “the Way” for all mankind.

3.  Some place where he could be alone”…speaks of isolation, a choice to step away, putting the world aside.  Jesus needed to distance himself from the world, to not be a part of it in the way it wanted him to be, to be an “extraordinary” person like no other….someplace alone.  His work was a “one-of –a-kind” work that could only be done while praying “someplace where he could be alone.”….God’s presence was necessary to meet God’s will.

4.  Finally we have “lonely places”…..Gethsemane, the cross were very lonely places and Jesus prayed at both.  Jesus withdrew to the loneliest places on earth!  His prayer time in lonely places prepared him for lonely work…being separated from his Father by our sin.  The description of “lonely places” makes me very sad.  I understand his desire to be alone because I’m an introvert and often crave solitude and being by myself.  But alone and lonely are two different feelings.  One is by choice, one comes upon you by circumstances.  I don’t believe Jesus was ever really lonely except during that time of separation at his death.  He was always in your presence while alive!  Being alone with You was balm for his soul and body.  Being alone in prayer with You was his lifeline. 

We too have to seek the prayer of aloneness….away from the crowds and the world, in deserted places, out-of-the-way places, somewhere we can be alone with You.  The lonely places are our times of separation…the “dark times of the soul”.  But wherever we are, You are there.  Slipping quietly away is just as important to us, as it was to Jesus.  You will be wherever we choose to meet you.  Jesus is our example.  We must abide in prayer with You often.  Our lives depend on it!  Thank you for your promises, your provision, your presence, your patience!  Thank you for prayer!  In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who teaches us the importance of slipping away to seek you.  amen.

Praying for believers.....

John 17:9  “For these I pray….not for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are really yours.” (NAB)

“I am praying to you for them: I am not praying for the world, but for the men whom you gave me, for they are yours.” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

We spend a lot of time praying for those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ, for those who need to be saved.  But here Jesus is praying for the believers.  He is praying for his disciples, whom you have given him, who have believed that he came from you and that you sent him.  He specifically says that he isn’t praying for the world (the non-believers) here.  Jesus prays in support of those who believe in Him and follow Him…that includes us!  Jesus is our “high priest” and he prays for our work, our protection from the Evil One, for our belief, for our abiding relationship of oneness with him and you.  He prays for the Holy Spirit to come to us and dwell in us.  He prays for our sanctification….that we be set apart and made holy through Him and your words.  Knowing that Jesus prayed for me while on earth and continues to pray for me in heaven is too awesome to contemplate!  Jesus is one with his followers and sends us to do the work he is no longer here in the flesh to do.  We are to glorify you, the Father, just as Jesus did.  We are to be in the world, but not of the world, just as he was.  We are to teach and preach and heal, just as he did.  We are his representatives left behind to build the Church and bring forth new generations of believers.  We are the ones who tell who Jesus Christ is and what he has done and why he did it.  We are the heralds of the Good News!  Jesus lives on through his followers.  Jesus is alive today in each of his disciples.  He prays for us to have the power for this work.  How can we not trust him?  “If God is for us, who can be against us?”….this isn’t a rallying cry to use God in our personal or national battles, but a rallying cry that takes Jesus into the battles He has chosen to send us into.  His battle, his power, the Father’s glory.  Jesus prays for our ability to follow him.  Jesus prays for me!  Thank you!  Amen.