Author: Craig

Prayer, Confidence, and the Who?

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Ask, seek, knock.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8
Our confidence in prayer is not in our capacity for communication or even our desperation.
Our confidence in prayer is drawn from the character of the one to whom we ask, seek, and knock.
Jesus says of Him,
“…If you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”  Matthew 7:11
Jesus reveals what the Father is like through His life, His teaching, and the Cross.
Confidence in prayer grows as we experience the grace of His answers.
Confidence in prayer never grows though unless we ask, seek, and knock during the seasons and days of our lives.

Prayer for today ~ Desert Song

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This week at the Origin worship gathering Alex introduced what was a new song for some.
It reminded me of the text we would use for our prayer time on Tuesday morning:
“For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.  Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.”
Psalm 143:3-6
Here’s the text and a link to the song.
“Desert Song”

[Verse 1:]
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides[Verse 2:]
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flame

[Chorus:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Verse 3:]
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

[Chorus:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Bridge 4x:]
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

[Chorus 2x:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Verse 4:]
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

Did Jesus feel the danger?

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“Fear of people will prove to be a snare.” Proverbs 29:25

When Jesus came from the communion

of the Father and the Holy Spirit

He entered into the relational field of relationships

that we share.

With God.

With people.

With self.

With the stuff of earth.

He was Truth wrapped up in a person.

One day He took up the Scripture He inspired,

And gave voice to it.

Then, He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down.

All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.

Then he began to speak to them,

“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  Luke 4:20-21 (NLT)

I wonder:

Did His pulse quicken as He stepped into the danger?

Did He say a quick prayer to the Father as He gave voice to the truth?

Did He revel in the truth of His identity?

Did He feel the separation that is attendant with Truth even before it is uttered?

As the conflict enveloped Him did He feel the shadow of the Cross?

No matter what He felt, I’m glad He did it.

I am a beneficiary of His mission:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the bling, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Luke 4:18-19

Jesus and your “I have to be in control” sickness

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31“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  Matthew 6:31-34

We were in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Ontario, when we spotted an antique store on one of four corners.  I was driving and we blazed past. Ellen was copiloting so we turned around. It was a pickers heaven, if you like knick-knacks.  It was packed with stuff.  And the aisles…were made for mice. The longer we stayed there, the more nervous I became, sure that at the next “turn and grab,” Mica and I would end up laying on top of a lot of broken stuff. Instead of enjoying the place, I started to worry. I needed to be in control. Sick. (Well I just considered it good parenting at the time!)

Hanging out with Jesus can do that too.  Listening to Jesus creates an unsettledness.  Encounters with Jesus can create disequilibrium. From a “I need to be in control perspective,” applying His Word seems impractical and sure to create more trouble. And that’s when the worry sets in. I wonder if Jesus saw it in the eyes of his disciples during his “sermon on the mount.” So he starts in on worry and encourages them to trust, to seek His Kingdom Today.

When the unsettledness comes, its probably a sign that we need to take a deeper look with Jesus, repent and move forward with faith.

 

Discipline ~ Key Verses — GLORIFYTHELORD

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“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — its painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”  Hebrews 12:11

Can you identify the resistance in the following?

Lifting weights.

Taking something sugary out of our diet.

Learning a new skill.

Learning a new language.

Pressing in to understand a new set of information.

Reviewing Scripture verses in order to memorize them.

Learning a new musical instrument.

Taking responsibility of how we feel without blaming another human.

Accepting the limits of our time and energy with our current responsibilities.

All these require discipline.  What discipline has in common is that it meets resistance.  Discipline is a kind of resistance training.  John tells us that Jesus came full of grace and truth.  As He invites us into relationship with Him we also get introduced to the responsibilities that flow from our identity in His Kingdom.  Grace and truth actually run into the resistance of my heart and my flesh toward God, toward change, toward movement in His mission.  But the first point of discipline is to bring me into a yielded relationship with God.  He will enlarge my vision of His love.  He will pour in His Holy Spirit to renew our desire for Him. God disciplines those He loves in order to shape us for Christ likeness.  It may not be enjoyable in the moment but the payoff is extraordinary.

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — its painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”  Hebrews 12:11