Tag: prayer (Page 9 of 9)

Just Going in Circles?

April 23, 2012 /

Last fall I shared some thoughts from a new book by our friend, Mark Batterson called The Circle Maker.  This weekend we had the privilege of having him speak at our church.

In the book, one story Mark uses is that of the Israelites who have been wandering in the desert for 40 years and come to Jericho at the edge of the Promised Land.  Imposing.  Six-foot wide lower wall.  50 foot tall upper wall.  Impenetrable.  Overwhelming.  Like many of the problems and dreams we face today.

God tells them to march around the city once a day for 6 days and then on the 7th day, to circle the city 7 times.  He promised after they circled the wall 13 times the wall would fall.  On the 7th day God delivered on a 400-year-old promise.  Mark writes,

“Jericho is spelled many different ways…  If your child is far from God it’s spelled salvation.  If your marriage is falling apart, it’s spelled reconciliation.  If you have a vision beyond your resources, it’s spelled provision.  But whatever it is, you have to spell it out.”

For my friend Heather, her Jericho was spelled healing.  All her life she has struggled with a hereditary condition that affects her digestion.  It became more and more complicated, resulting in the necessity for 8 operations and an ileostomy (not something exciting for a beautiful twenty-something woman)

The bottom line was that she landed back in the hospital for both Christmas and her birthday last year with more complications after her 7th surgery.

Confused, grieving, trying to cling to God, the 7th floor of  the U of M Medical Center became the site of her Jericho.  Barely able to hobble, dragging her IV pole she made it her goal to walk around the unit one time each day, and finally, 7 times.

Heather focused on Hebrews 11:1, trusting that God was doing in her body what she didn’t see or feel, and that her faith in Him would carry her if the healing wasn’t physical.

When she walked out of the hospital on March 27th 2011 it was for the last time.  Physically healed.

This was not magic.  This was not a formula.  And I don’t know why Heather was healed and others are not.  We’re in a relationship with the God of the universe and His ways are not our ways, His timing is often not our timing.

Heather would probably tell you that what she learned over the years of waiting, walking and clinging, was as important as her healing.  She is a different woman.  A more peace-filled, confident woman because of her walk in circles.

But I am convicted by this, “When you live by faith it often feels like you are risking your reputation.  You’re not.  Your risking God’s reputation .  It’s not your faith that’s on the line.  It’s His faithfulness…The battle doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to God and because the battle doesn’t belong to you, neither does the glory.”  

We need to look to God’s promises.  Ask, and then listen for Him to whisper the dreams and goals He wants us to trust Him for.  We need to pray for discernment.  And listen.  And do our part in making wise and healthy choices.

But here’s where I also get in trouble.  Often I think I (we?) ere on the side of not naming our Jericho out of fear and uncertainty.  Maybe we can start circling our Jericho with an openness to God’s correction.  An ear to heaven and an eye on eternity…

So today, What’s your Jericho?  Maybe we can circle together.

If you want to hear Mark’s fantastic message from this weekend on Acts 10, and additional study of the topic with Message Gear go here.  (Should be available by Tuesday latest)

When Practice becomes part of Personality

January 9, 2012 /

I am a pray-er, but I don’t feel like I’m a very good one.  I don’t keep lists of prayer requests for others or date them or write down answers when they come, and I feel guilty that I pray on the fly a lot.  I journal prayers, but honestly they’re pretty self-centered.  I think I’m inconsistent in my intensity and devotion to this practice.

The thing is, I (and I think many of us) compartmentalize prayer like a word picture I read recently.  We can see prayer like little squares of syrup in a waffle that don’t spill over into other squares.  Prayer is in this square, and not that square.  We’re precise.  We follow guidelines.  We’re, dare I say, stingy with our syrup.

But I have the privilege of being friends with a man who is a drench-the-waffle-with-syrup-and-have-it-sog-up-everything kind of pray-er.  Literally, anytime and ANYWHERE you see him, he will ALWAYS say, “Let’s have a prayer.”

He prayed with a friend of ours over the broccoli in the produce section of the grocery store.

He huddled up with a bunch of half-dressed men in the locker room at the pool.

He jogged around our church praying for us when we first moved to Minnesota.  He prays with our daughters in the middle of a crowded room, oblivious to all around him.

Here’s the thing.  For Roger, prayer is not a practice.  Not a thing he does.  Not a square of his waffle to be filled with syrup.  It’s part of who he is.

Who Roger is is someone deeply in love with, and constantly in conversation with his heavenly Father.

Roger shows me someone with…

  • A posture of humility and dependence on God.  Someone whose life says “My God is big and I am small.”
  • An understanding of the character of God – His power, mercy, sovereignty
  • A perspective – an affirmation of who is ultimately in control.

Roger is about 587 years old, so he’s had lots of time to practice, but I wonder, at what point did this practice become a part of his personality?

What are ways you’ve found to incorporate prayer into the moments of your day?

G-Chatting, Prayer, and Little Nothings

December 28, 2011 /

Hope you’re having a relaxing week with friends and family!  I don’t know about you, but prayer is such a mystery to me….something I think about a lot.  This was originally posted August 3, 2011 when our daughter Maggie was still in Guatemala.

There’s the supernatural feeding of the 5,000, the miraculous pillar of fire in the wilderness, and…G Chat.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (like I was, apparently), you know about this magical little box that appears at the bottom of your screen if you have Gmail and allows you to carry on a conversation with friends and family while simultaneously doing “work” on your computer.  This has been a delightful discovery, introduced to me by my daughters, one in Guatemala, and one in Washington D.C.  Sometime during most mornings we’ll each show up, sign on and Maggie will text, “Well, we’re all here.  How’s the fam?”

Off and on, as we leave and then jump back into the conversation, going about our daily stuff, we tackle problems like looking for a new home for Katy in D.C., prepping Maggie for job interviews, weighing in on important fashion questions, and planning a road trip together.

Years ago, when she was in high school, it was Maggie who learned how to text without looking at the screen of her phone, holding it under her desk and chatting with me while in class.  She taught me the wonders of texting too, kind of like a special ed teacher working with a very slow student.  I figured communication with my teen was at least as important as what her Spanish teacher was saying so I didn’t discourage this impropriety.

As I think back to my family, accessibility was one of the highest values.  My parents have had the same phone number for 50 years.  That phone # represents their presence and availability.  It never mattered how high the phone bill was, and I always knew that any time of the day or night they were there for me.  I knew (and know) that talking to me was their highest priority.  I remember the night I called them at 2 a.m. because I was so excited that it was snowing where I was in Texas and without missing a beat they shook off their sleep and joined me in my enthusiasm.

With our daughters it’s mostly texting 24/7, but last night I got a call from Guat.  Both of us home alone for the evening in our respective countries, we talked about important things like Miley Cyrus, and Bill Clinton, a friend who’s pregnant, what we were fixing for dinner, and how much we like Sandra Bullock as a comedienne.  We laughed a lot and missed each other.  It was a lot of little “nothings” that added up to an important “something” – being present and available to each other.

It’s kind of like a card we have loved to send to each other in our family.  On the front are Pooh and Piglet walking together.

“Pooh!” whispered Piglet.

“Yes, Piglet?” said Pooh.

“Oh, nothing,” said Piglet.

“I was just making sure of you.”

I wonder if it’s like that with God.  Do we tend to dismiss the casual thoughts, hopes, anxieties of our day that we may toss up to God as “not–legitimate” prayer – a lot of little “nothings”?  I wonder if it’s exactly those little “nothings” that add up to the “something” of an authentic, present relationship with God.

What do you think?  Do you feel like some prayer is more legit or real than other prayer?

Breathe

December 9, 2011 /

I really wish I liked Yoga more. It’s healthy.  And it’s so in.  But I’m not crazy about it.

Here are the only things I like about Yoga:

  • the comfy pants that are like legal pajamas,
  • the fact that you do it in a group with great people, and not, for example on a stationary bike in your basement (like a crazy introvert),
  • the corpse pose (where you lay still with soft music playing)…

And one more thing…

They remind you to breathe.  In fact, I think that’s the only part I consistently get right when I go.  I mess up all the poses.  And I can’t make myself pretzelize (is that a word?) like my friend Brooke.

But then they say, “Don’t forget to breathe.” and I think “Yes!  I’ve got that down!  Score!” (Can you tell I’m better at competitive sports than contemplative ones?)

Sometimes the best I can do at Yoga is to just keep breathing.  Sometimes in the Christmas season it seems that way also.  You too?

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One Thing that will Completely Change Your Day

December 2, 2011 /

This may sound weird, but I hope you’ll give it a chance.

What if, today, as a spiritual experiment for Spirit Stretch Friday, you tried praying for everyone you see.

I’ve told you I’m no spiritual giant (obviously!), and I don’t think I’m a good pray-er, but I’ve tried this and it’s powerful.  Formative.  Eye-opening.

You don’t know what to pray for strangers?  I know!  That’s the beauty of it!                    You have to be present,                                                                                                                               to try to enter in,                                                                                                                                to see each person as a beloved child of God as you pray for them.

Here’s what it might look like…

“Lord, please give that frazzled mom grace and patience as she deals with her kids in the grocery store.”

“For that man with the worried look, Father please give what only You can give – guidance, peace, resources.”

“Jesus remind that teenager that she is loved.  Please put someone in her life to encourage her today.”

“Lord, may this salesperson experience something of Your love and grace through me.”

When I’ve tried this, what I’ve found is that it really helps me to see each person more as I think Jesus might.  When people are rude (like someone who cuts me off in traffic), in order to pray for them it makes me think, “What must be going on in that person’s life that they are acting like that?”  It helps me to be more gracious and slow down a bit.

I know it sounds a little strange, but might you be willing to try this experiment today?    I’d love to hear what happens.

Bless your Heart

November 16, 2011 /

A good friend of mine from Charlotte, North Carolina once told me, “You know down here in the South you can say absolutely anything as long as you follow it with ‘Bless her heart!'”

“She’s gained as much weight as a Mack truck.  Bless her heart!”                                            “His dance moves look a lot like Kevin James’ in Hitch.  Bless his heart!”                       “Her best yoga pose is the corpse, but she tries.  Bless her heart!”

I’m saying something critical or gossipy but “Bless her heart” conveys a compassionate heart.  It’s my get out of jail free card.  He or she may be really messed up, but because I care, it’s ok to name the weakness or transgression.

Here in Minnesota we don’t really say “Bless their hearts.” often.                                         Our “Bless his heart” sounds like,  “Just sayin'” to make something harsh seem more acceptable.  Or, “We should pray for them.”

My “Bless their heart” sounds more like, “I think that worship leader is more obsessed with looking like Bono than leading worship.  But that’s really my issue.”  See what I did there?  It may be my issue – I may be hyper-sensitive to it, but I also planted a seed…a negative image in the mind of the person I was talking to.  I said it was about me, but it really was about them.  How terrible is that?  I often think my life verse should be Proverbs 10:19, “Where words are many sin is not absent.”  What about you?

Are there other ways we mask mean comments?  What’s your “Bless their hearts”?

Necessary Endings?

November 11, 2011 /

One of the most stretching things for my spirit is letting go.  I’m reflecting, in this season on change, and death, and release.  And the hope of new seasons.  Will you join me?  Praying today, with hands open, palms down, relinquishing the dead things I may be clinging to.  Shame, control, past pain, unhealthy relationships…thankful that God is a God of life and hope.  A God who changes old to new.

“Oh God of endings,                                                                                                                                                            you promised to be with me always,                                                                                    even to the end of time.                                                                                                        Move with me now in these occasions of last things, of shivering vulnerabilities and letting go…

…Be with me in my end of things,

dead ways,
 dead words,                                                                                                                                   dead self I hold so tightly,                                                                                                        defend so blindly,                                                                                                                          fear losing so frantically…”                                                                                                         Excerpt from Guerillas of Grace by Ted Loder

 

 

This day I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.  For the Lord is your life.” Deut. 30:19-20.

What’s on your reading list?

November 7, 2011 /

It’s totally unfair.  My husband reads fast and retains everything.  AND actually applies what he learns.  I, on the other hand, read at the speed of an endless Minnesota winter and struggle to retain a fraction of what I read, never mind actually applying it.  I’m in the loser bluebird reading group.  However, there are some books that I’ve read recently that have been impactful and so relevant that it’s been hard NOT to apply what I’m reading.  Here are a few.

I highly recommend all of them, but today I want to write about another one that’s not in that pile.  I received an advance copy of Mark Batterson’s new book, The Circle Maker, which will be out December 12th.  I’ve found this book to be challenging, encouraging, and uncomfortable in the best way possible.

If I had to name one thing I struggle with the most in living out my faith, it would be landing on the “right” way to view prayer.  I am inspired by those who dream big dreams and pray audacious prayers, but I am repulsed by those who seem to have more confidence in their specific prayer, than in the God they are praying to.  I’m paranoid about my prayers being more about me than God.  This book is both challenging and encouraging in that regard.  Batterson, using Joshua’s march around Jericho (in addition to a legend and other biblical accounts), writes about “praying circles around your biggest dreams and greatest fears.”  Mark himself prays huge petitions of faith, but is authentic in sharing the lessons he’s learned when God hasn’t responded as he might have liked.

This book is chock full of insights and examples that are catalytic. One of the images I love in Circle Maker is that of the hyperlink.                                                                          “Our most powerful prayers are hyperlinked to the promises of God.  When you know you are praying the promises of God, you can pray with holy confidence.  It’s the difference between praying on thin ice and praying on solid ground.  It’s the difference  between praying tentatively and praying tenaciously.”

A few other quotes to whet your appetite:

“Prayer is the alpha and omega of planning.  Don’t just brainstorm; praystorm.”

“If you seek answers you won’t find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you.  There comes a point after you have prayed through that you need to let go…by resisting the temptation to manufacture your own answer to your own prayer.”

“We allow our circumstances to get between God and us instead of putting God between us and our circumstances.”

Batterson is NOT writing about a “name it and claim it” theology, but he challenges me through these words: “Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish.  Why?  Because there is no way we can take credit for it.  And nothing is better for our spiritual development than a big dream because it keeps us on our knees in raw dependence on God.  Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God; it’s a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us.”

In reading this book I am convicted that too often I pray safe prayers that allow me to “help” God out in case He doesn’t come through.  So, I’m reflecting on the riskier prayer circles God might have me draw.

I think this book is so good that I’m going to do a drawing for a free copy of The Circle Maker.  The names of everyone who posts a comment on this post before Tuesday night at midnight will be put in a hat for a random drawing.

How does this land on you?  Is prayer a challenge for you?  What’s one word that represents what you would like to circle in prayer?

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