In a couple of weeks, I will re-start the Bible Study that I do. I am excited about it, because it gives me a creative outlet and something to look forward to each week. Honestly, I love teaching theology! At least for now, we will be looking at The Psalms. "Why?" you may ask. Well, several reasons.
The primary reason is because of the role that Psalms plays in worship. The Psalms were an integral part of the ancient Hebrew worship, and often is major part of ours. I am sure that you have noticed this. However, have you taken time to sit down and read through each of these Psalms that were used in a worship service and examined them in detail? If your church uses a Psalm as a ‘call’ and ‘response,’ have you really thought about what you were saying? Have you thought about what kind of events might have inspired a specific Psalm, or what the original words might convey in meaning?
Many of the Psalms are short, but full of vivid imagery and deep in theology. This will give us a lot to think about, pray about, and discuss. Another important thing is that most of these were someone's prayer that they wrote down. It was their way of putting words to what was on their heart and on their mind. Therefore, they can help us put our thoughts and feelings into prayer.
On a related note, the Psalms cover a very, very diverse range of emotions. From joy, to sadness, to loss, to being deeply confused, to absolute range, and many emotions in between. According to Paul in Romans 8:26-27, we see that the Holy Spirit aids us in our prayers, and searches our hearts. From the readings of the Psalms that I have done over the years, they have helped me put to words what I might be feeling and/or thinking.
While I am not fluent in Hebrew, I can work with that language much more easily than I can Greek. This will help me a lot with researching the history and original text. Believe it or not, this can be very important. For example, in Psalms 23, the original words used in verse 4 actually indicate a ‘staff’ and a ‘club?’ Which indicates to me that God will protect me from dangers that are ‘at a distance’ and those that are ‘right up close.’ That is pretty significant to me, don’t you think?
While most Psalms are a complete thought/prayer in and of themselves, several of the longer ones contain multiple parts. This means that we can either cover one of the longer Psalms in one session, or look at each of its parts over a period of two or more sessions. One Psalm that will take many weeks to look at is Psalm 119, which has over 170 verses! Though they cover a similar theme, they are very diverse in how they express it.
To be honest, it is very easy to look at Psalms and not really think about what they mean. They are very poetic and have wonderful (though sometimes scary) imagery. But, do we really think about them, or do we just quickly read through them? What about our hymns of today? When we sing them, do we really think much about what the words mean? Did you know, Psalms were often chanted during a Jewish worship service, playing a similar role as our hymns. For me, this is yet another reason to look at them in depth.
Something that I am hoping to do, is to post some of the things that we are looking at with the Psalms. Now, there is no guarantee that I will be able to do so every week. Some weeks are more challenging than others. And, I am sure that each of you out there know that. But, not only am I wanting to post things that I discovered, but I also hope to share some of the observations that others share in the class.
As I have talked about before in prior blog entries, each of us is on a journey. What God does with me in my journey will be very different than someone else. Each of us have our own particular joys, sorrows, struggles, expectations, etc. It is my hope, though, that the things that we discuss and learn about the Psalms will be a blessing onto at least some of you each week. That’s not to say that I won’t blog about other things that I experience. As time and life allow it, I want to do so. But, one step at a time. Ready to start a journey together through the Psalms?
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Monday, August 21, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
Spring Cleaning and Memories
Over the last several months, my wife and I have been going through some of our many boxes and crates of things that we have collected over the years. We have been slowly going through things, trying to figure out what we still need and what we can get rid off. It's amazing how much 'stuff' can accumulate in just a few years time!
For some things, it is easy to determine if we want to keep it or not. Other things require a bit of thought. We often have to ask ourselves, "Do I really want to keep this? How important is it to me?"
As I have been going through things, many memories have been triggered. I came across some correspondence between my ex-wife and her family several weeks ago. A bit of a painful time in my life, so I did not keep it. I also have come across several different sets of things from when I was going through the ordination process with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. Some of the things were important documents of schooling and evaluations that definitely needed to be kept. Some other things were not nearly that important. But all had to be evaluated.
I have also come across quite at bit from the different vacations that our family has been on together. Some of the brochures no longer needed to be kept. But, some of them did for when we can put a scrapbook together. Again, many different memories came to my mind.
Isn't it interesting how seeing something will trigger one or many different memories? An old letter from a close friend, a special gift from someone who has passed away, a certificate from something that was a major achievement, or an evaluation that was not very positive but still a growing experience? I have had many such experiences these last few months as I have been doing this. There have been a few times where I took a short break to contemplate the memories that an item brought back, even if they were not very pleasant.
One of the more pleasant memories surrounded a couple pages of a note that my "church grandma" had written me many years ago. Because my dad was a pastor and my mom sang in the choir, I had to sit with other people in the congregation during worship. I probably sat with three or four different couples or families on a regular basis, but one couple, the McCleods, were the ones that I sat with the most. In fact, Charles and Ethel McCleod became my 'church grandparents.' On many different occasions I would spend time with them while I was growing up in Kansas. Needless to say, a real flood of memories came back to me when I came across just one letter from them!
We all have memories that we deeply cherish, as well as ones that we would rather forget. But, all of those memories help to create who we are today. It has been my experience that God can use each of those memories in His plan for us. I know that this may come as a shock to some of you. But, God can, and often does, bring beauty out of our ashes. In fact, we may never know how He may use the different experiences that we have had. Nor may we fully realize what God does through us on this side of heaven.
At different points of our lives, we will have to go through the things that have accumulated in our lives. they are physical things or just emotions and memories themselves. How will we sort through them? What kind of criteria will we sue for what we want to keep and what we want to get rid of? At least with the physical things we can get rid of. The emotions and memories, especially the negative ones, not so easy. It is a challenge, is it not? For me, the hope is that God will take all of my experiences, from the wonderful to the extremely painful, and use them for His glory. As we prepare for Easter this Lenten season, perhaps that is something we all should prayerfully considering, how God might made beauty out of our ashes.
For some things, it is easy to determine if we want to keep it or not. Other things require a bit of thought. We often have to ask ourselves, "Do I really want to keep this? How important is it to me?"
As I have been going through things, many memories have been triggered. I came across some correspondence between my ex-wife and her family several weeks ago. A bit of a painful time in my life, so I did not keep it. I also have come across several different sets of things from when I was going through the ordination process with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. Some of the things were important documents of schooling and evaluations that definitely needed to be kept. Some other things were not nearly that important. But all had to be evaluated.
I have also come across quite at bit from the different vacations that our family has been on together. Some of the brochures no longer needed to be kept. But, some of them did for when we can put a scrapbook together. Again, many different memories came to my mind.
Isn't it interesting how seeing something will trigger one or many different memories? An old letter from a close friend, a special gift from someone who has passed away, a certificate from something that was a major achievement, or an evaluation that was not very positive but still a growing experience? I have had many such experiences these last few months as I have been doing this. There have been a few times where I took a short break to contemplate the memories that an item brought back, even if they were not very pleasant.
One of the more pleasant memories surrounded a couple pages of a note that my "church grandma" had written me many years ago. Because my dad was a pastor and my mom sang in the choir, I had to sit with other people in the congregation during worship. I probably sat with three or four different couples or families on a regular basis, but one couple, the McCleods, were the ones that I sat with the most. In fact, Charles and Ethel McCleod became my 'church grandparents.' On many different occasions I would spend time with them while I was growing up in Kansas. Needless to say, a real flood of memories came back to me when I came across just one letter from them!
We all have memories that we deeply cherish, as well as ones that we would rather forget. But, all of those memories help to create who we are today. It has been my experience that God can use each of those memories in His plan for us. I know that this may come as a shock to some of you. But, God can, and often does, bring beauty out of our ashes. In fact, we may never know how He may use the different experiences that we have had. Nor may we fully realize what God does through us on this side of heaven.
At different points of our lives, we will have to go through the things that have accumulated in our lives. they are physical things or just emotions and memories themselves. How will we sort through them? What kind of criteria will we sue for what we want to keep and what we want to get rid of? At least with the physical things we can get rid of. The emotions and memories, especially the negative ones, not so easy. It is a challenge, is it not? For me, the hope is that God will take all of my experiences, from the wonderful to the extremely painful, and use them for His glory. As we prepare for Easter this Lenten season, perhaps that is something we all should prayerfully considering, how God might made beauty out of our ashes.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
When God Speaks
References:
• Blog Entry written by Josh Buice
• Mark 13:11 NKJV
• John 14:26 NKJV
• Philippians 3:15 NKJV
• James 4:14-17 NKJV
Someone I know on Facebook asked what other thought about the above article, so I read it. Well, honestly, I tried to read it. It’s not very often that I come across articles that I cannot finish reading. This was one of them.
I am sure that Josh Buice meant well. However, I read the article with more than a little discomfort. This is because a young Christian could easily come away after reading the article and think, “God does not speak to me, so therefore God does not care about me.” Nothing can be further from the truth!
Now, there is a difference between people saying, “God told me..” because He inspired him or her to do something and someone saying, “God told me…” because they are trying to justify their own agenda. If what a person is saying or writing clearly clearly contradicts God’s Word, then they are teaching/speaking from their own human (sinful) spirit or it is demonically inspired. However, if it is something that is not clearly contradict Scripture but honors it, is edifying, points people back to God, etc., then it is probably Divinely inspired.
Now, there will be no more ‘inspiration’ of Scripture. What we have as Scripture is complete, from Genesis through Revelation. That much is very, very true. However, God will still ‘speak to us’ via the Holy Spirit. We are given God’s Spirit (Holy Spirit) for our guidance, encouragement, correct, etc. If God gives us to encourage and guide us and ‘instruct us,’ this it is a given that God will ‘speak to us.’
Although I grew up a pastor’s kid, it wasn’t until I was 20 that I gave my life to Christ. That was back in January of 1994. Over the decades, God has spoken to me on numerous occasions. Very rarely has it been an ‘audible voice.’ More often than not, it will be a nudge in my spirit, my conscience, highlight something in my thoughts (so that it really stands out), etc. Very rarely has it been in ‘distinct words.’
On many occasions while being a pastor in a church (while going through an ordination process), doing a Bible study, or something else, where I will clearly feel God directing me to do something, focus on something, etc. This is especially the case when God is directing me to confront something that is wrong (like a wrong belief that a local church wants to believe). On several occasions I have felt God directing me to confront something and will not let me ‘have peace’ until I obey.
One example that comes to mind… Many years ago, I had the opportunity to give a sermon at the church that my dad had once pastored and that I had grown up in. When my dad first shared this opportunity with me, I felt a very, very unusual sense of excitement to doing it, as if God was not just giving me ‘permission’ to do so, but very much wanted me to do so. Along with this, I felt ‘inspired’ to preach about my conversion. It wasn’t a ‘got knocked off my horse’ kind of conversation like Saul had, but more of a ‘quiet one.’ When I shared this with my dad, he ‘reminded me’ that the church used the liturgy and I was expected to follow it. Ironically (and hilariously to me), the passage was Luke 24:13-33, which perfectly described how I went from ‘just head knowledge’ to ‘saving heart knowledge.’
If Josh Buice’s goal was to speak against people saying, “God told me…” so that they could ‘add to Scripture’ or support their own agenda, I would whole heartily agree. However, the tone and words of the article spoke very differently to me. It spoke of a cold god who did not care about how we lived our lives. Think of it this way… Because of our sinful nature, there is no way we could live in obedience to God based on the Bible. We are absolutely incapable of doing so. It is when God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us that God can guide us. If God guides us to live according to His Will (and His Word), then He is, in fact, ‘speaking to us.’ And, there will be times where God will very clearly instruct us to talk with a certain person, go to a certain place, maybe even some of the courses or college major to focus on. How God does that will be just as varied as there are people on this earth. But, because our God is a loving God who cares about how we live and what we do, He will ‘speak to us.’
Final thought… Prayer is how we communicate with God, is it not? What is communication, but the sharing of ideas, right? Because God calls us to cast all of our cares unto Him, does that not imply that there is going to be a response from Him? Again, how God will respond to us about different things will vary greatly on the person and the situation. God will never add to or take away from Scripture. But, how God wants you to apply things in your life, that He will let you know. Are you willing to listen?
• Blog Entry written by Josh Buice
• Mark 13:11 NKJV
• John 14:26 NKJV
• Philippians 3:15 NKJV
• James 4:14-17 NKJV
Someone I know on Facebook asked what other thought about the above article, so I read it. Well, honestly, I tried to read it. It’s not very often that I come across articles that I cannot finish reading. This was one of them.
I am sure that Josh Buice meant well. However, I read the article with more than a little discomfort. This is because a young Christian could easily come away after reading the article and think, “God does not speak to me, so therefore God does not care about me.” Nothing can be further from the truth!
Now, there is a difference between people saying, “God told me..” because He inspired him or her to do something and someone saying, “God told me…” because they are trying to justify their own agenda. If what a person is saying or writing clearly clearly contradicts God’s Word, then they are teaching/speaking from their own human (sinful) spirit or it is demonically inspired. However, if it is something that is not clearly contradict Scripture but honors it, is edifying, points people back to God, etc., then it is probably Divinely inspired.
Now, there will be no more ‘inspiration’ of Scripture. What we have as Scripture is complete, from Genesis through Revelation. That much is very, very true. However, God will still ‘speak to us’ via the Holy Spirit. We are given God’s Spirit (Holy Spirit) for our guidance, encouragement, correct, etc. If God gives us to encourage and guide us and ‘instruct us,’ this it is a given that God will ‘speak to us.’
Although I grew up a pastor’s kid, it wasn’t until I was 20 that I gave my life to Christ. That was back in January of 1994. Over the decades, God has spoken to me on numerous occasions. Very rarely has it been an ‘audible voice.’ More often than not, it will be a nudge in my spirit, my conscience, highlight something in my thoughts (so that it really stands out), etc. Very rarely has it been in ‘distinct words.’
On many occasions while being a pastor in a church (while going through an ordination process), doing a Bible study, or something else, where I will clearly feel God directing me to do something, focus on something, etc. This is especially the case when God is directing me to confront something that is wrong (like a wrong belief that a local church wants to believe). On several occasions I have felt God directing me to confront something and will not let me ‘have peace’ until I obey.
One example that comes to mind… Many years ago, I had the opportunity to give a sermon at the church that my dad had once pastored and that I had grown up in. When my dad first shared this opportunity with me, I felt a very, very unusual sense of excitement to doing it, as if God was not just giving me ‘permission’ to do so, but very much wanted me to do so. Along with this, I felt ‘inspired’ to preach about my conversion. It wasn’t a ‘got knocked off my horse’ kind of conversation like Saul had, but more of a ‘quiet one.’ When I shared this with my dad, he ‘reminded me’ that the church used the liturgy and I was expected to follow it. Ironically (and hilariously to me), the passage was Luke 24:13-33, which perfectly described how I went from ‘just head knowledge’ to ‘saving heart knowledge.’
If Josh Buice’s goal was to speak against people saying, “God told me…” so that they could ‘add to Scripture’ or support their own agenda, I would whole heartily agree. However, the tone and words of the article spoke very differently to me. It spoke of a cold god who did not care about how we lived our lives. Think of it this way… Because of our sinful nature, there is no way we could live in obedience to God based on the Bible. We are absolutely incapable of doing so. It is when God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us that God can guide us. If God guides us to live according to His Will (and His Word), then He is, in fact, ‘speaking to us.’ And, there will be times where God will very clearly instruct us to talk with a certain person, go to a certain place, maybe even some of the courses or college major to focus on. How God does that will be just as varied as there are people on this earth. But, because our God is a loving God who cares about how we live and what we do, He will ‘speak to us.’
Final thought… Prayer is how we communicate with God, is it not? What is communication, but the sharing of ideas, right? Because God calls us to cast all of our cares unto Him, does that not imply that there is going to be a response from Him? Again, how God will respond to us about different things will vary greatly on the person and the situation. God will never add to or take away from Scripture. But, how God wants you to apply things in your life, that He will let you know. Are you willing to listen?
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Focusing on Other Things
I know that I have not written much at all these last two months. My family has had a number things come up that have required our attention. Between these issues, getting a new puppy a few weeks ago, my on going work at the prison (working 4 12 hour shifts in a row), etc., I have not had much free time. In fact, today is really the first day in quite a while where I feel like I can just sit back and relax.
I know thatsome people struggle with priorities on a very regular basis. The more things that you have to deal with,the more stressed a person can feel. Especially when conflicts arise on what needs to be more importnt. Some people thrive on that kind of challenge. Other people tear themselves apart from the emotional, physical and spiritual stress. How many people do you know who have made themselves emotionally, even physically ill, from the real (or imagined) stress in their lives?
I know that I have been stressed out at times these past several weeks. Though I have set aside a number of articlesto blog on, I have had little time or interest in doing so. And this is coming from someone who loves to write. This is part of the reason why I am purposely relaxing today. I know that my body needs the break. I am sure many of you can relax.
I know that a big part of life is learning how to balance responsibilities and choosing healthy outlets for stress. It can be very difficult to find that healthy balance, let alone maintain it. And, unfortunately, our jobs, the schools that one's children attend, church (or other religious worship communities), local communities, etc., all vie for our attention. It is a never ending cycle of getting some sense of balance, then something comes in and steals that precious balance. Your are then forced, all over again, to find that balance.
In my own life, I have found that taking time to just relax and read, spend time in prayer and Bible study, listeningto music that I enjoy, and breaking projects down into more manageable pieces, and purposely being with others (not near them, but actually ingaging them in meaningful conversations) all help in my life.
There are several things that are not on my plate anymore, but I still have a lot going on. Since I do this blog more as an outlet and not as a source of income, other things have to take priority. But, I hope to be a little more regular and consistant in my blogging. Though that seems possible now, in a few days or weeks, the opposite could be true.
Not only is this a mental and spiritual outlet for me, but I have noticed that I have a bit of a following. According to the stastics that Blogspot keeps, I have people from all over the world visit my blog. How many of them are regulars, I do not know. But, China, Germany, Russia, TThe Netherlands, and (of course) the US are regular cou tries from where people visit. I know that there is always a spike when I post on Facebook about a new entry. That is to be expected. But, even during times when I do am not inspired to write, or just too busy, I still get visits. It fascinates me, and encourages me. It is my hope and prayer that not only do people enjoy reading what I write, but find it encouraging and helpful.
Just so you know, I am writing this entry on my tablet. So, if there are any obsurd spelling or grammer mistakes, I do apologize. I have been able to correct several mistakes that I have caught, but I am sure that I have missed many.Perhaps some of these errors will give you the chuckle that you might have needed.
I know thatsome people struggle with priorities on a very regular basis. The more things that you have to deal with,the more stressed a person can feel. Especially when conflicts arise on what needs to be more importnt. Some people thrive on that kind of challenge. Other people tear themselves apart from the emotional, physical and spiritual stress. How many people do you know who have made themselves emotionally, even physically ill, from the real (or imagined) stress in their lives?
I know that I have been stressed out at times these past several weeks. Though I have set aside a number of articlesto blog on, I have had little time or interest in doing so. And this is coming from someone who loves to write. This is part of the reason why I am purposely relaxing today. I know that my body needs the break. I am sure many of you can relax.
I know that a big part of life is learning how to balance responsibilities and choosing healthy outlets for stress. It can be very difficult to find that healthy balance, let alone maintain it. And, unfortunately, our jobs, the schools that one's children attend, church (or other religious worship communities), local communities, etc., all vie for our attention. It is a never ending cycle of getting some sense of balance, then something comes in and steals that precious balance. Your are then forced, all over again, to find that balance.
In my own life, I have found that taking time to just relax and read, spend time in prayer and Bible study, listeningto music that I enjoy, and breaking projects down into more manageable pieces, and purposely being with others (not near them, but actually ingaging them in meaningful conversations) all help in my life.
There are several things that are not on my plate anymore, but I still have a lot going on. Since I do this blog more as an outlet and not as a source of income, other things have to take priority. But, I hope to be a little more regular and consistant in my blogging. Though that seems possible now, in a few days or weeks, the opposite could be true.
Not only is this a mental and spiritual outlet for me, but I have noticed that I have a bit of a following. According to the stastics that Blogspot keeps, I have people from all over the world visit my blog. How many of them are regulars, I do not know. But, China, Germany, Russia, TThe Netherlands, and (of course) the US are regular cou tries from where people visit. I know that there is always a spike when I post on Facebook about a new entry. That is to be expected. But, even during times when I do am not inspired to write, or just too busy, I still get visits. It fascinates me, and encourages me. It is my hope and prayer that not only do people enjoy reading what I write, but find it encouraging and helpful.
Just so you know, I am writing this entry on my tablet. So, if there are any obsurd spelling or grammer mistakes, I do apologize. I have been able to correct several mistakes that I have caught, but I am sure that I have missed many.Perhaps some of these errors will give you the chuckle that you might have needed.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
A Prayer
The prayer that I will write below is based on the prayer that I typically pray while driving to work or driving by myself to run errands. I do not pray like this every time. The order in which I pray will vary depending on the day. Some days I may focus more on one aspect of this prayer than another. Think of it as a fluid guide, not a set in stone template. If it is helpful for your, then wonderful! If not, at least you know one tool for praying that doesn't help you.
Heavenly Father, here I am traveling to work.
Thank you for all of Your love and grace in my life,
though I know that I do not deserve it.
I give thanks that You are a holy and righteous God.
For without your holiness and righteousness,
I would not know how to live.
I would not know right from wrong,
good from evil.
I also give things that You are a loving and forgiving God.
For without Your love and grace,
I would have no hope.
I would have no peace or joy.
I would still be dead in my sins
and have no eternal life.
Thank You, o Lord, for forgiving me of my sins.
My sins of commission and sins of omission.
Sins that I have committed intentionally,
and those that I committed unintentionally.
For You were pierced for my transgressions,
bruised for my iniquities.
You became cursed to set me free from curses,
for cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree to die.
I give thanks that You took my place!
Though I do not deserve Your love and grace,
You chose to freely give it.
Help me to live a life of thankfulness,
a life of obedience.
Prepare the way before me,
and help me to follow You.
Thank You for putting on me Your Spiritual Armor.
Thank You for putting upon my chest Your Breastplate of Righteousness,
thank You for girding my loins with Your Belt of Truth.
Thank You for shodding my feet with Your sandals
of the Gospel of Peace.
Thank You for putting upon my head
Your Helmet of Salvation.
Thank You for giving me Your
Shield of Faith and the Sword of Your Spirit.
And, thank You Lord, for helping me to take a stand,
even if it means standing alone…
May You continue to bless my family and I indeed…
May You continue to enlarge our borders.
May continue to lay Your hand upon our hearts,
to restrain us from evil,
so that we might not sin against You,
against each other,
and to not grieve Your Holy Spirit.
Help us to be faithful to You.
Lord, I lift up all of us who are in a leadership position,
for You call all of us to lead,
in one form or fashion every day.
Help us to make the right decisions
in all that we do.
Give us the insight with what to do,
the wisdom with what to do,
and the strength and courage to do it!
Heavenly Father, here I am traveling to work.
Thank you for all of Your love and grace in my life,
though I know that I do not deserve it.
I give thanks that You are a holy and righteous God.
For without your holiness and righteousness,
I would not know how to live.
I would not know right from wrong,
good from evil.
I also give things that You are a loving and forgiving God.
For without Your love and grace,
I would have no hope.
I would have no peace or joy.
I would still be dead in my sins
and have no eternal life.
Thank You, o Lord, for forgiving me of my sins.
My sins of commission and sins of omission.
Sins that I have committed intentionally,
and those that I committed unintentionally.
For You were pierced for my transgressions,
bruised for my iniquities.
You became cursed to set me free from curses,
for cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree to die.
I give thanks that You took my place!
Though I do not deserve Your love and grace,
You chose to freely give it.
Help me to live a life of thankfulness,
a life of obedience.
Prepare the way before me,
and help me to follow You.
Thank You for putting on me Your Spiritual Armor.
Thank You for putting upon my chest Your Breastplate of Righteousness,
thank You for girding my loins with Your Belt of Truth.
Thank You for shodding my feet with Your sandals
of the Gospel of Peace.
Thank You for putting upon my head
Your Helmet of Salvation.
Thank You for giving me Your
Shield of Faith and the Sword of Your Spirit.
And, thank You Lord, for helping me to take a stand,
even if it means standing alone…
May You continue to bless my family and I indeed…
May You continue to enlarge our borders.
May continue to lay Your hand upon our hearts,
to restrain us from evil,
so that we might not sin against You,
against each other,
and to not grieve Your Holy Spirit.
Help us to be faithful to You.
Lord, I lift up all of us who are in a leadership position,
for You call all of us to lead,
in one form or fashion every day.
Help us to make the right decisions
in all that we do.
Give us the insight with what to do,
the wisdom with what to do,
and the strength and courage to do it!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Learning to Pray
References:
• Matthew 6:9-13 NAS
• Prayer Online
• The UMC Book of Worship
• PC USA Book of Common Worship
This blog entry is based on a Bible Study that I did with members of the church my wife and I attend. It is definitely not an exhaustive look at what prayer is. Whole books written by people who have spent much more time studying the Christian concept of prayer. Instead, this is simply an introduction to my understanding of prayer. If there is enough interest, I will be happy to go into deeper detail with different aspects of prayer.
Let me first emphasize something. It is my opinion (and experience) that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to pray. Just as learning new skills, learning a language, cooking, etc., everyone has their own style and preferences. Some styles of prayer are more appropriate for different situations. However, praying is as unique as the person saying the prayer and the situation that created the need/desire for prayer.
Growing up a Presbyterian minister’s son, I learned a lot of prayers over the years. Some of them were typical prayers said before meals, others were prayers typically said before bed. Two examples are “Now I lay me down to sleep….” and ‘God is great, God is good…” I also grew up seeing the Psalms are awesome examples of prayers. I don’t think I ever saw them as exhaustive examples, just some examples.
While growing up in the church, I also learned to pray for others. Whether for healing, strength, encouragement, safe travels, etc. Although I learned all of these different prayers, I did not develop a deep prayer life until many years later.
While in college and seminary, I was introduced to many styles of prayers. I was also given ‘formulas’ for ‘how to pray.’ While I believe that acronyms can be helpful for doing prayers, I don’t think that they are absolutely essential. One ‘formula’ (acronym) that I came across recently that can be helpful is ACTS. ‘A’ is for adoration, praising God for who He is. ‘C’ is for Confession, telling Him everything we’ve done wrong and asking for His forgiveness. ‘T’ is for thanksgiving, thanking Him for answered prayers and for helping us in our daily lives. And ‘S’ is for supplication, asking God for daily needs (http://www.prayeronline.org.au/how-to-pray).
But, for me, one of the most important things that I have learned is that prayer is to be a conversation with God. One way of looking at it is, we read Scripture to hear from God. And then we pray in order to talk with God. While I do pray this way at times, I more often do not. Instead, I will spend a large portion of time while walking, driving, or sitting in the house and reflect on things in my life while praying. Sometimes I might have a list of things that I want to make sure and pray about, but often I don’t.
On many occasions, I have gone for a walk and prayed for others. Things that I typically will pray about are my friends and family, the businesses and/or houses that I walk buy, up coming events in my life, etc. There rarely is a set agenda, I just pray about what comes to mind. I was first exposed to this idea of ‘prayer walking’ while in college. It is a good way for working on praying in a more spontaneous manner.
I do something a little different while driving to work. Over the years, I have developed the habit of spending at least 10 minutes of my commute to work (be it for the Department of Corrections, the Nebraska Guard unit, or something else). Typically, I will acknowledge my sinful nature, thank God for His healing and forgiveness, and transition to thanking Him for giving me His Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Then I will often start praying about my upcoming day at work, things that I know I will experience, making the right decisions, that myself and all others in a leadership role will make the right choices, etc. Some days, I only spend 5-8 minutes in prayer. Other times, I have spent an entire commute in prayer. Either because of all the things that came to my mind to pray for, or because I was spending a lot of time praising and thanking God for things He has already done.
Some people like to keep a prayer journal. I have done this on occasion, but have not been very consistent with it. Probably because I typically prefer to pray while doing other things like walking or driving.
While I was at FT Bragg, and friend of mine and I decided to become prayer partners. We would call each other on a regular basis (frequently to daily, depending on our schedules). During our phone calls, we would share recent news, prayer requests, and then pray together. Since we would usually pray with each other while talking on the phone, we jokingly would say, “Do you want to dial and then I hang up?” That is, one of us would ‘dial,’ or start the prayer. Then, we would pray as we felt the Holy Spirit guiding us. Eventually, when the other person felt led to do so, he would ‘hang up.’ That is, he would close the prayer. It was something that worked really well for us.
Asides from the many examples of prayer in Scripture, two other good resources come to my mind. One is Chapter 3 of “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster. The other is chapter 15 of “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In both of these examples, the respective author spends times talking about their perspectives and experiences on prayer. There are many, many other resources out there that one can use.
In closing, I want to emphasize a couple of things. One is that how a person prays is really going to depend on who the person is and the particular situation that they are praying about. A person should always be learning and growing with how they pray. Try different ways of praying. Try keeping a prayer journal, pray by yourself and pray with others, experiment with praying for people while out walking, etc. Over time, God will help you learn ways to pray that honor Him and draw you closer into a deeper relationship with Him. In fact, that should be one of your goals with prayer, to experience His love and grace more, to walk closer with Him, and to be able to be more responsive to His guidance. Be ready to be surprised by Him as you do this. He has truly done that with me.
• Matthew 6:9-13 NAS
• Prayer Online
• The UMC Book of Worship
• PC USA Book of Common Worship
This blog entry is based on a Bible Study that I did with members of the church my wife and I attend. It is definitely not an exhaustive look at what prayer is. Whole books written by people who have spent much more time studying the Christian concept of prayer. Instead, this is simply an introduction to my understanding of prayer. If there is enough interest, I will be happy to go into deeper detail with different aspects of prayer.
Let me first emphasize something. It is my opinion (and experience) that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to pray. Just as learning new skills, learning a language, cooking, etc., everyone has their own style and preferences. Some styles of prayer are more appropriate for different situations. However, praying is as unique as the person saying the prayer and the situation that created the need/desire for prayer.
Growing up a Presbyterian minister’s son, I learned a lot of prayers over the years. Some of them were typical prayers said before meals, others were prayers typically said before bed. Two examples are “Now I lay me down to sleep….” and ‘God is great, God is good…” I also grew up seeing the Psalms are awesome examples of prayers. I don’t think I ever saw them as exhaustive examples, just some examples.
While growing up in the church, I also learned to pray for others. Whether for healing, strength, encouragement, safe travels, etc. Although I learned all of these different prayers, I did not develop a deep prayer life until many years later.
While in college and seminary, I was introduced to many styles of prayers. I was also given ‘formulas’ for ‘how to pray.’ While I believe that acronyms can be helpful for doing prayers, I don’t think that they are absolutely essential. One ‘formula’ (acronym) that I came across recently that can be helpful is ACTS. ‘A’ is for adoration, praising God for who He is. ‘C’ is for Confession, telling Him everything we’ve done wrong and asking for His forgiveness. ‘T’ is for thanksgiving, thanking Him for answered prayers and for helping us in our daily lives. And ‘S’ is for supplication, asking God for daily needs (http://www.prayeronline.org.au/how-to-pray).
But, for me, one of the most important things that I have learned is that prayer is to be a conversation with God. One way of looking at it is, we read Scripture to hear from God. And then we pray in order to talk with God. While I do pray this way at times, I more often do not. Instead, I will spend a large portion of time while walking, driving, or sitting in the house and reflect on things in my life while praying. Sometimes I might have a list of things that I want to make sure and pray about, but often I don’t.
On many occasions, I have gone for a walk and prayed for others. Things that I typically will pray about are my friends and family, the businesses and/or houses that I walk buy, up coming events in my life, etc. There rarely is a set agenda, I just pray about what comes to mind. I was first exposed to this idea of ‘prayer walking’ while in college. It is a good way for working on praying in a more spontaneous manner.
I do something a little different while driving to work. Over the years, I have developed the habit of spending at least 10 minutes of my commute to work (be it for the Department of Corrections, the Nebraska Guard unit, or something else). Typically, I will acknowledge my sinful nature, thank God for His healing and forgiveness, and transition to thanking Him for giving me His Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Then I will often start praying about my upcoming day at work, things that I know I will experience, making the right decisions, that myself and all others in a leadership role will make the right choices, etc. Some days, I only spend 5-8 minutes in prayer. Other times, I have spent an entire commute in prayer. Either because of all the things that came to my mind to pray for, or because I was spending a lot of time praising and thanking God for things He has already done.
Some people like to keep a prayer journal. I have done this on occasion, but have not been very consistent with it. Probably because I typically prefer to pray while doing other things like walking or driving.
While I was at FT Bragg, and friend of mine and I decided to become prayer partners. We would call each other on a regular basis (frequently to daily, depending on our schedules). During our phone calls, we would share recent news, prayer requests, and then pray together. Since we would usually pray with each other while talking on the phone, we jokingly would say, “Do you want to dial and then I hang up?” That is, one of us would ‘dial,’ or start the prayer. Then, we would pray as we felt the Holy Spirit guiding us. Eventually, when the other person felt led to do so, he would ‘hang up.’ That is, he would close the prayer. It was something that worked really well for us.
Asides from the many examples of prayer in Scripture, two other good resources come to my mind. One is Chapter 3 of “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster. The other is chapter 15 of “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In both of these examples, the respective author spends times talking about their perspectives and experiences on prayer. There are many, many other resources out there that one can use.
In closing, I want to emphasize a couple of things. One is that how a person prays is really going to depend on who the person is and the particular situation that they are praying about. A person should always be learning and growing with how they pray. Try different ways of praying. Try keeping a prayer journal, pray by yourself and pray with others, experiment with praying for people while out walking, etc. Over time, God will help you learn ways to pray that honor Him and draw you closer into a deeper relationship with Him. In fact, that should be one of your goals with prayer, to experience His love and grace more, to walk closer with Him, and to be able to be more responsive to His guidance. Be ready to be surprised by Him as you do this. He has truly done that with me.
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