Tag Archive | Prayer

Don’t Give Up!

Oct3

Back in September, we read  David’s story

It was a story about loss, and persistence, and restoration.

Here it is again, in a nutshell;

David – Returned home to find that his entire village had been destroyed. Not one living thing was left, not one building standing. His wife and children were taken away, and he had no way of knowing whether they were alive or dead. Here’s what David (and his men) did. You can read this account in 1 Samuel 30. Here’s what he did –

1. He wept bitterly, until all of his strength was gone.

2. He then found strength in the Lord his God.

3. He inquired of the Lord to see what he should do (He prayed)

4. He took a portion of his men with him and pursued the enemy. He got EVERYTHING back, and then some. God honored the fact that he did not quit, but that he and a small number believed God could restore. (Nation, Families, Finances, Churches)

Now here is another story, this time about Daniel;

Daniel – Chapter 9. Now Daniel finished reading the scrolls and saw that the captivity was coming to an end. He could have said hip-hip-hooray and stopped praying, but he didn’t. He didn’t stop crying out to God, he called out to God what He had already promised! Three things he did –

1. He repented, for his sin AND the sin of his people.

2. He interceded. He took the promises of God’s word and brought them before Him all the more.

3. He gave thanks. He gave thanks for what He had done and what He would do. He thanked Him for His promises and covenants.

Both of these men could have given up. They could have stopped. They could have taken the freedom God gave them, and hidden themselves away. They never would have gotten the promises of God fulfilled in their lives.

Instead, they were persistent. First in their belief that God would care for them, and then, in their tenacity to continue moving forward, through pain and loss, to receive the prize at the end of the line.

The questions here for you and I are these;

  1. Will we persist?
  2. Will we believe God?
  3. Will we go on until we reach the prize?

To be sure, there are prizes here on this earth that are worth fighting for, but in reality, they will all fade away.

My persistence will lead not only to some of these, but to the ultimate prize – Living in the Presence of God. In His kingdom. Forever.

Pretty sure of this am I?

Yes.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Romans 8:35
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

 

How about you?
Are you sure?

Floating Near the Surface

Sep14

In my previous post, I used this statistic; The average person in Western society is bombarded by 35-48 thought fragments  per minute. Per minute folks!

It is no wonder that our children (and our adults!) can’t concentrate. There is so much “noise” all the time – there is no room to hear our true voice, the one that lives inside of us.

And, after hearing all the noise that is provided to us, sorting out the truth is just that much more difficult. Our moral compasses have a difficult time defining true north.

This is why I advocate for quiet time. Just some time, a little, or a lot, depending on your personality and your circumstances.

Taking some time to turn off the noise, and do a deep dive into that really makes us who we are.

I find that without that time of quiescence, I find myself floating near the surface of truth, but not really connecting to it.

The quiet helps me to separate the truth from the noise.

Once I sort that out, I can burst through the surface, and really begin to connect with my dreams, my aspirations, and my passions.

In short, I can be who I was created to be.

In Mark 6:31 Jesus says this; “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
My goal is to do that for a little while each day, and longer when it is possible.
How about you? Have you connected with your inner life? Have you determined your dreams, and aspirations, and passions? Do you know what you’ve been created for?
I challenge you to find out. A little or a lot.
Are you up for it?

 

Peeling eggs. Digging holes. Hairy legs.

Aug13

So. What does peeling hard boiled eggs, digging holes, and shaving legs have to do with each other?

Let me tell you.

I am physically and/or genetically incapable of doing any of these things.

Eggs? Forget about it! No matter what or how I do it, they break apart in pieces.

Holes? No matter how hard I push, press or stomp on the shovel, a hole is nowhere in sight, only exhaustion.

Legs? Gaping cuts that bleed for days.

These things, I give up on. I cry uncle.

There are some other things however that I refuse to give up on.

Creating a quiet space for my heart and mind, eradicating brain fog, and following with all my being what I believe God has laid out for my life

None of the above things listed are easy. (At least for me obviously)

But important?

I have to ask myself, are they important in the scope of my life?

I have definitely decided that I can do life without some things. The perfect hard-boiled egg can be purchased at the nearby grocery. Digging holes? I have young grandsons for that, or I can call Bobby. That is what Bobby has done all his life, and he does it very well. Hairy legs? No one ever died from hairy legs, but there are creams and lotions and potions for that.

The final three, I have decided, are important for life, and health, and happiness.

In this work-a-day world, finding a quiet place is not always easy. The world is a noisy place. Some noise is to help elevate our moods, and keep us moving. Some of that noise I am convinced is because if we are quiet, we may not like the soundtrack that is playing in our head.

For my own mental health, I know that I simply must take that time to quiet myself. Even for a moment, and even if I don’t like what I’m hearing in my head.

peace and quiet..

**********************************

I was writing this on a Saturday evening. I was not completely sure where I was going with the whole thing.

When we went to church on Sunday, I found that the teaching there, really well with my topic.

Eggs? Digging holes? Hairy legs? you ask? No not at all.

But the peace part, how in my noisy life do I get there?

Where is that peace regardless of the things I can and can do?

Regardless of the circumstances I am facing in my everyday life?

The remedy was expounded upon by Pastor Ty.

Here is part of the scripture he used.

Philippians 4:4-9 English Standard Version (ESV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I will rejoice, because in my life, there have been many trials, and God my Father has been walking by my side through them all. He has never told me that there will be no hard times, only that He will remain by my side. He will never leave me. It is these trials that make me stronger.

And it causes my peace to grow.

The peace of God is more than I can comprehend, and it guards my heart. It keeps it safe from all of the jabs I get from the world and the enemy. I can count on God my Father to carry my heart next to His.

And it causes my peace to grow.

I can change the way I think. It is a choice. I have always said that fear and worry were an inside job. And here, Pastor Ty says it too. He confirms my thinking yet again. “Worry is an inside job. Anxiety is borrowed stress, borrowed from tomorrow. Every time you borrow stress, it turns out badly.”

And it causes my peace to grow.

I can CHOOSE how I think. I can CHOOSE to reject anxiety. I can CHOOSE not to be stressed. I choose these things by choosing to think about what is true, and honorable, just and pure, lovely and commendable, excellent and worthy of praise.

And it causes my peace to grow.

My circumstances may or may not change, but the way I choose to think of them will.

And in that quiet place, my peace will grow.

Now. Back to the eggs, and the holes and the hairy legs.

I can spend my good time and energy on these things that do not matter, and will disappear in the blink of an eye, or I spend my energies on things that will not only help me, but others as well.

With this choice – my peace, and yours too, will grow.

PEace and quiet