Let None of Your Words Fall

I was reading the book of First Samuel this crisp, fall morning and a beautiful sentiment lept off the pages to me.  It was in the story of Samuel as a young boy receiving God's call, a passage I have always loved and prayed over as it pertains to my children.

    Help my children hear your call, Lord! May their response be “Speak, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10)

But it was further into chapter three that the Lord showed me a beautiful prayer today:

"The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground." 1 Samuel 3:19

I pray that today, dear friend.  Let us savor God's word for ourselves, and speak truthful, choice words that will not just fall to the ground, but serve to encourage one another.  May our words be winsome and helpful, instructing and guiding, and lead to LIFE.  

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Prayer is God's Currency

Image from ocregister.com

Like many of you, I rarely carry cash these days.

Most often, I use my credit card to shop online, as we are still under stay-at-home orders from our state's governor.  Before that, I'd swipe it at store registers and at the gas pump.

We utilize automatic bill pay for our monthly expenses, and about once each month, I break down and actually write a check to our piano teacher and French tutor.

It is somewhat magical--especially to our youngest child--how money is spent when I never even carry around a quarter she can use for a bubble gum machine.

It's funny, really.

Even though my hands have not touched a bit of U.S. currency, I find that when we near the end of the month, my family has largely blown through our allotted budget for household items, clothing, food, and bills.

I've grown to see that prayer is like the currency that God uses to do His work here in our world.

We never really see it.

We might hear it, but we don't have to, as we can just as effectively pray in our minds and hearts without uttering a word.

Some of us might write our prayers down, but again, this isn't a requirement for our requests to be made known to God.

Silent.  Invisible. Untangible.

Seemingly nothing really, in our physical and material world.

And yet, scripture tells us that prayer is the most powerful and effective weapon and tool we have in our arsenal as Christians.

Prayer empowers the full armor of God in spiritual warfare with the Enemy (see Ephesians 6:18).

We see how prayer can save cities and people, when we intercede for others (see Genesis 18:22-33).

As many of us have personally experienced, the prayer of a repentant person eternally saves the soul and forever reassigns someone's destiny from eternal separation from God to eternal paradise in His presence.

And I believe prayer will change the course of history as we suffer under the Covid-19 worldwide viral pandemic.

God authored prayer.

God hears prayers.

God acts in response to prayer.

In short, prayer matters.

So today, dear friend, if you are discouraged because prayer seems so ephemeral and intangible, and therefore, powerless and ineffective, take heart.

Think about the last time you used paper money and metal coins.

And how much our economy runs on money...even though it may never be seen, smelled, or touched!

Prayer IS effective--even when it seems like it is not, because God says it is in His Word.

May you and yours be safe and well during this uncertain time.  And may the Lord be gloried through it all.

**(Need help with your daily prayer life?  I'd highly recommend these gorgeous prayer journals from Val Marie Paper at this site here.  The 6-month compose prayer journal in Dusk is my go-to fav!)

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A Balm for the Soul

Source: 123RF.com

So often, I wonder why I sit down, taking time out of my hectic week, to pen a reflection here on the blog.

What do I have to say that is important?
What do I have to say that hasn't been said a thousand times already (and probably better!)?
What impact could I possibly have in a world that is shouting and angry, lost and alone?
How can God use me--a fearful, weak sinner--to impart His ancient, profound, and intensely personal truths?

Maybe you feel this way, too, in whatever work God has for you, dear friend.

Well, this afternoon I had the pleasure of knitting and listening to an interview between one of my favorite Bible teachers, Nancy Guthrie, and author Rosaria Butterfield on The Gospel Coalition podcast today.

In the interview, Rosaria shared some parting thoughts that have been such a balm for my soul, and I thought might be an encouragement to you, as well. It is a prayer of sorts--a prayer that many of us believers need to speak over ourselves and our world as we seek to serve and to encourage people, both believers and unbelievers, around us.

Rosaria states:

"Do not be discouraged by what humbles you--remember that what humbles you cannot hurt you. Remember that keeping the word of God alive in the hearts of people is hard work, and it is noble work, and it is Old Testament prophet work, and it is not work that comes with a big paycheck or a “That-a boy!” or a "Thanks."  It is God’s work and it is vital and it's necessary because things are so hard right now.  The word of God is under attack and derision, and sadly not just from unbelievers, but from wolves in sheep’s clothing who claim to be believers, many of them seminary trained with letters behind their name."

She continues:

"If you are listening to this thinking, "What good can I do?”, the world can be changed through the efforts you are putting forward through faith, through grace in love with the Lord Jesus Christ.  God can breathe through that and transmute that far and wide; it is the labor of faithful saints with the sharp Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, that is going to be the healing balm of life to this world."

And she closes:

"Allow the Word of God to be your balm, allow it to wash over you, allow it to heal your hurts, and allow it to illumine your indwelling sin patterns; feel the sweet peace of repentance and the joy of trials and be transparent about that with others…"

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear that on this Sabbath afternoon.

I want God's Word to wash over me.  And I am passionate about it washing over you, too, dear friend.

I am praying for you to be transformed by the Word and Spirit of God.

You might feel all alone.

But God sees you.

And I am writing for you, praying for you, and holding you close to my heart throughout my week.

I am committed to keep sharing God's word, and will do my best in being transparent with that, as I embrace my weakness and allow God's strength to shine through me. It might be easier in some ways to not log on, to not pen my thoughts and share with you all that I am learning from the riches of God's word.  But I know my soul would just burn if I didn't speak the truth of God and His word over your life, dear friend!

May you feel the love of God on this day.  May you burrow deep into His word and may it be a balm for your soul.  I pray you would hold on tight and that you would lean in and put your full weight on the precious promises of our Savior who is able to save sinners.

It takes faith every day to sit down and write to you.

It takes faith every day to trust Jesus to save sinners--like you and me--through His word.

It takes faith every day to trust God to make us more and more like Him.

But may we press on: learning, growing, seeking, and resting in HIM.

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The Issue of Authority

Source: arrivealive.mobi

As a mother of three children, I find myself speaking about the issue of authority often.

"Who says?" my son rebuffs in a snide tone.

"You can't make me!" my daughter cries, as she stomps up the stairs.

"You're not the boss of me!" one child roars to another.

Many of these conversations result in reminders to my children of who is actually in charge of things around the house--who has real authority.  While my husband and I try to seek the children's input on a regular basis, the truth is, the task of decision making ultimately lies with us parents.

Although we have the authority as Mom and Dad over our children, we also answer to a higher authority, God Himself, who has entrusted us with our children to love, guide, and disciple.

What is astonishing when we read the Scriptures is the kind of authority that God has in life and over death.

The wind and waves obey Jesus' commands (see Mark 4:35-41).

Demons flee those whom they torment at the sound of Jesus' name (see Luke 4:41).

Sickness and death are defeated as people are healed and brought back to life through the ministry of Christ (see John 11:38-44).

At the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount teaching, the Scriptures say that the crowds were "astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." (Matthew 7:28-29).

And yet, what is even more remarkable is that Christ has given us, His children, this authority over the enemy through prayer.

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." --Luke 10:19 (emphasis mine)

Having authority over my own children makes sense--they are younger than me and need me to provide for their needs and teach them as they grow into adults.

However, the spiritual authority we have as followers of Christ makes no sense.  

It would be like me suddenly stepping off the curb into a busy intersection and starting to direct the traffic.

Who am I to do such a thing?  And who would actually stop?  How would I not get hit by an oncoming vehicle, laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed?

But the authority we have in the spiritual realm has been imputed to us through Christ.

It is as though Christ has given us His own uniform and badge, a bright yellow vest, and credentialed us to be a traffic cop, not based upon our own merit, but on His.

Wow!

The next time the Enemy whispers in your ear, "who are you to...share with that person, lead that Bible study class, teach that Sunday School lesson, speak to that women's group, fill-in-the-blank..." remember Whose authority you operate within!  No, you don't have authority in your own person, but Christ has given you His! 

May we as Christ followers be faithful to pray and to trust, to step out in faith and believe upon this authority today, dear one!

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"  --Matthew 28:18-20

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Heavenly Access

In my church, we just launched into a sermon series on the Lord's Prayer.  (I love it when my pastor just "happens" to preach on what I have been studying in my personal devotional time!  I am totally digging this study on the Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin...but I digress).

One of the images my pastor projected on the sanctuary screen was this one:

Source: www.iconicphotos.wordpress.com

I found a few more of these iconic photos of President Kennedy with both his children in the Oval Office.

Source: www.pbs.org

Source: www.historythings.com

What incredible access John John and Caroline had to a man who was arguably the most powerful man in the world!   To have a father as President, to be crawling around at his feet, playing in a space where important decisions were being made in the policies of a nation...of the world...must have been an incredible experience!

But this incredible relationship--this unbelievable access--pales in comparison to the access we have to our heavenly Father, the creator of the universe, the overseer of our souls, the author and finisher of our faith! (see Genesis 1; Rom 12:2; 1 Peter 2:25)

As the couples in our community group and I were discussing the other night, our access is even MORE incredible than the one pictured here.  Our heavenly Father is not busy and distracted by more "important" things.  He is utterly omnipotent--all powerful--and omniscient--all knowing--and omnipresent--able to be everywhere at the same moment in time.  He is above politics. He is greater than a nation.  He doesn't just make important decisions--He is ultimately sovereign--in control of all things.  The hearts of kings lie in His hands:

"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;  he turns it wherever he will." Proverbs 21:1

How foolish I am when I neglect the precious practice of prayer!  How senseless it is when I go about my day without accessing my heavenly, all-knowing Father in heaven!

Oh, how grateful I am that God would want to commune with me through prayer!

And He longs to meet with you, too, dear friend!

Let these pictures inspire you this week to get together with your heavenly Father, to talk over your day, present your needs, praise and adore Him, and thank Him for all that He does and all that He is.

May we never forget who we are as children of the King of Kings!

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"  --1 John 3:1

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Middle East Prayer Lapbook

I confess.  

Up until very recently, I just couldn't bring myself to pray for the Middle East.

It seemed very abstract and foreign to me; boring at best, downright terrifying at worst.

It was a topic best left untouched by my mind, heart, and spirit, I reasoned.

I'll just leave that prayer topic to my pastors, I thought.  The professional pray-ers in the church.

Well, as I shared recently, the Holy Spirit has been nudging my heart to think more about the people of the Middle East.  

I say "nudging," but it has felt more like a "holy hijacking" of my thought and prayer life.

I am a creative person at my core, and I often need to process things through folding paper, writing, and drawing.

Last week, I broke out our homeschool supplies--colored file folders, cardstock, markers, and adhesive--and got busy putting together an interactive Middle East prayer lapbook.**  

Now before I give you a little tour, I want to be very clear.  The purpose of this book is to gather my thoughts about the Middle East, using words and pictures, and to provide a forum for me to interact with them visually.  There is no "right" way to put together a lapbook, and it doesn't need to be pretty or perfect.  For my lapbook, I posted personal pictures of my travels, adhered bookmarks, coins, maps, lists of prayer points (gleaned from books such as this one and this one), and interesting facts about the region to spark further thoughts and prayers.

Now, allow me to give you a short tour (not everything is shown, due to the sensitive or personal nature of some of the material)...

The lap book opens (cover not shown) to an outline map of the Middle East.  In my research, I was surprised to find that there is a lot of disagreement about which countries people consider to be included in the official "Middle East," so I went with what I thought best.  I hand wrote in the country names on the map, which I touch and work through as I pray for these countries and people groups.

Map, as well as people groups, are highlighted

Another thing I was surprised to discover in my reading is how many people groups cannot be accounted for using a geopolitical map.  Groups such as refugees, IDPs (internally displaced people), Kurds, Yazidis, and many more do not have their own country on a map.  So I placed them below, writing thoughts and prayers around them.

I love when little "bits and baubles" show up when I craft. This map of Turkey and the verse reference were discovered on the packaging of the woven bookmark I used (featured on another flap).

As you make your way through the book, various flaps fold over and uncover pictures, facts, and Scripture verses to prompt me to pray for the healing of this land and its people.

Here's that woven bookmark I bought while away on my church's women's retreat...which happened to be made in Turkey!

A zoom-out view of a few flaps and pages

On other flaps, I list out prayer points to cover, so I can anchor my mind on something while I pray for abstract things such as God's provision, health, peace, freedom, protection, and God's presence to be felt by these hurting people.

A few prayer points I found in the book Love in the Face of ISIS

Some flaps are a bit nostalgic, revealing ticket stubs and coins from my personal travels to the Middle East areas of Istanbul and Dubai.

Ticket stubs and a coin from my trip to Istanbul in 2009

I adhered copies of book titles and photos which remind me of books I have read about the area and people there who inspire us all to take courage and stand up for what's right (like Malala Yousafzai).

I love color-copying book covers and teaching materials to cut and paste into my lap books!

A beautiful prayer for MY heart as I pray for the Middle East, taken from Love in the Face of ISIS

And so through the use of this lap book, I plan to pray more consistently about the Middle East--in a way that better connects my head with my heart.

Now, I realize in sharing this prayer book with you that lapbooking may NOT be your thing!  And that is OK!  But I'd still like to challenge you to connect your heart and your head as you pray in fresh ways for the world.  That could look a million different ways!  This is just one such example.

But, perhaps you are kinda like me, or perhaps you want to just give this a try.  Perhaps there are regions of the world, or current events, or topics of prayer that you have heard about and you are not sure how to pray for them or even where to start.  Perhaps these topics, these people groups, are just too abstract and overwhelming for your mind to consider, like how I viewed the Middle East.

Would you consider a fresh way to interact with this prayer topic, dear friend?  A new way to see your prayer life and your prayer list through lapbooking?

Oh, I hope that you do, dear friend!  And I'd LOVE to be the first to hear all about it!

**(If you are new to lapbooking, you might want to check out this previous post where I made one about church history.  To construct the book, I fold two file folders in a "staple configuration," place them side by side, and adhere the touching flaps together.  Then I decorate all the flaps that result with colored paper and goodies.)

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Holy Spirit Hijack

Source: Ridge Times

It is always a bit unnerving--and yet excitingly mysterious--when the Holy Spirit takes the reins and hijacks your thought and prayer life.

This doesn't happen to me much, I confess.

I usually keep a monthly prayer list in my favorite prayer journal, where I gather requests from friends and family and record God's answers.  Its topics include sick friends and family members, upcoming decisions, prayers over my husband and children...the usual stuff that would make sense for a middle-income American, stay-at-home-mother like me.

Enter the month of April...and the otherworldly influence of the Holy Spirit.

Suddenly, my prayer list has exploded with prayers for the European refugee crisis, the civil war in Syria, women in Iran, the defeat of ISIS, the U.S./Mexico border crisis, and praise for the believers among the Hmong people of Vietnam.

Yep.  Kinda crazy.

And yet when I stop to consider things, I don't think this hijacking has occurred quite so randomly and recently.

Looking back, it might have started when I read The Kite Runner, quickly followed by A Thousand Splendid Suns about six years ago.  I talked a bit about how reading fiction has transformed my prayer life in this previous blog post, so I won't go into it here.

But my fiction reading life can't adequately explain the recent hijacking of my prayer life.

I know it is the Holy Spirit, which as I alluded to earlier, makes me both excited and downright uncomfortable, all at the same time.

I mean, why else would I spend an afternoon devouring a book on praying over ISIS instead of chatting it up with some friends at my church's recent women's retreat?

This recent thought life hijack has exploded into an insatiable appetite to learn more about various current event topics.  It's led me on lengthy internet searches.  It has led me to read various kinds of books--books on prayer, books on history, fiction, biography, memoir, nonfiction.

Some recent favorite reads and my prayer journal

 It has led me to ask friends lots of questions about their home countries.

My new Saudi friend and neighbor

In some cases, it has cast a new light on previous vacations and tourist experiences.

My friend and I in Instanbul, 2009

It has directed our homeschool studies, especially as we have delved into the Eastern Hemisphere this year.  It has led me to watch documentaries like this one on Jerusalem (a film my folks just happened to have on hand and let me borrow when we saw them over spring break).  It has also made me crave time getting to know other ladies from around the world who live in my very own community.

Ladies' International Tea Party
Columbia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, France, Korea, Kenya and the USA in the HOUSE!

And earlier this week, it even led me to craft a lap book about the Middle East (yes, my crafty side LOVED that little adventure! More details on that in an upcoming post).

Middle East prayer lap book

Mercy.

I am still trying to figure out what all this means for my prayer life.  I am in the process of distilling it down into a workable prayer plan for myself that will cover some of the issues that are weighing heavy on my heart.

For now, I am picking seven topics.  Just seven.  That's all I can wrap my mind around for now.  And I plan to pray for one people group, current event, or international crisis each day of the week.

So, I'd like to turn to you, dear friend.

In what ways are you praying in unexpected ways in this season of your life?  Do you find yourself caring about things you NEVER used to think about?  Have you stopped to ask the Holy Spirit to open up your mind and heart to pray in fresh ways...to pray about those things that are on HIS heart and mind?

Oh, I hope you do, dear one!  It is a WILD and CRAZY ride, for sure, but it has been so unexpectedly rewarding and exciting for me!

May we all be open to pray as God guides and directs us, for all our brothers and sisters in need around the world...and may we see what God does to heal our land and draw the nations to Himself!

Psalm 22:27 ESV

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How Reading Fiction Has Transformed My Prayer Life

Source: medium.com

Something very unexpected has profoundly affected my prayer life in recent years.

To be quite frank, it hasn't been the Bible studies I've done about prayer, although I've done several that were meaningful for me.

It hasn't been the pre-printed prayer calendars and prayer guides my church gives out in our foyer.

It hasn't been my prayer journal, although it definitely keeps my prayers more organized, and helps me to see and record how God is faithful to answer my prayers.

Surprisingly, it has been fiction books.

Yep, you read that right.

Novels.  Secular novels.

I think the way that novels have most impacted my prayer life is by opening my heart to walk alongside another person (even if that person is a fictional character) through their story of heartbreak, loss, persecution, and injustice.  And by walking with them, to listen to their story, and to ultimately care--at the heart level--about things that don't personally affect my life here in modern America suburbia.

Fiction has opened my eyes to other cultures, and grown in me an interest to learn more about their history (which oftentimes, is a very difficult and violent one).

It has provided a safe window into another part of the world--especially those places that are war-torn and unsafe to travel to--to help me get to know it, and grow to appreciate it, and even have a heart for it.

I'll never forget reading Khaled Hosseini's books, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns about five or six years ago.  I remember just weeping--like seriously ugly crying--over the nation of Afghanistan, where these books are set.  I wept over the religious oppression and cruelty of the Taliban, over the injustices suffered by women at the hands of men, and over the prejudice and abuse suffered by the Hazara people.

I remember being quiet and sad all day long after I finished Hosseini's second novel, as I was going through the daily motions of taking care of my toddler, preschooler, and kindergarden-aged children.

Looking back though, it was a good quiet and sad day.  It was a sadness that was knitting compassion into my heart, growing me as a child of God to care about some of the other people He deeply loves.

Here's how I see it: when things get scary and uncomfortable on the news, it is too easy to turn the channel or throw down the newspaper.  Honestly, what I do most often is to avoid news sources all together.

But with fictional stories, these characters--these people--soon become your friends.  Instead of running away from their story, you find yourself leaning in when the subject gets uncomfortable and you listen with more intent to hear...and to feel...and to care.

Unlike any other worldly means, fiction has broken wide-open my capacity for love and compassion.

In truth, fiction stories have messed me up in all the right ways.

They have helped me truly feel.

They have made me care.

They have helped me to love people on a deeper level.

In fact, they have motivated me to get to know real people from these other cultures.

Recently, I've been adding autobiography into my reading mix.  I recently read I Am Malala, written by Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who stood up to the Taliban for girls' rights to go to school.  I was pleased to find out that she is currently 21-years-old and studying at Oxford, after being the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

So now, instead of your run-of-the-mill family and friends prayer requests, I am finding my prayer list is being overrun with topics such as the red-light district of Amsterdam, women in Iran, and US/Taliban peace talks in Afghanistan.

All because I've read my way there.

I'll end today's post with a short book list if you want to read your way into a new prayer life, too, dear friend.  I won't promise this list is a good one if you are a sensitive reader, but each of these titles have messed me up in a good way...to PRAY!

BOOK LIST

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (technically memoir)

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (also exists in a young readers format)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

To Kill A Mockingbird  by Harper Lee

Habibi by Naomi Shabib Nye

A Window on the World (an excellent non-fiction prayer resource for adults and kids alike, great for country look up AFTER you've read your fiction book)

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Shalom of the City

Photo courtesy of loveyourcity.net

I've been thinking a lot lately about the spiritual revival for our nation and the unity of the Christian faith towards this end.  I've been keenly aware of the popular view of our narrowing selection of political candidates, as our nation heads toward another presidential election this fall. And the tension is palpable--as it has been for every generation throughout the centuries--how do we as Christ followers live in our modern secular society?  How are we to live out Christ's call to be salt and light?  How are we to avoid segregating ourselves into a "holy huddle" and tribalizing into our own Christian culture...and yet how do we avoid compromising, becoming too permissive, and blending into (and thus condoning) the secular society in which we live?

Well, the prophet Jeremiah addressed this issue in his letter to the people of Israel who had been taken into exile after Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians.  They, too, were a people of God, finding themselves, for the first time, living in a pagan culture.  What were they to do now?  Separate themselves?  Blend in?  How were they to live for God in this place?  Well, let's take a look at how the prophet addresses these concerns in Jeremiah chapter 29, starting with verse 4:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

We might be surprised at Jeremiah's instructions, given to him by the Lord.  In essence, he says to dig in!  Intermarry. Build houses, plant gardens, and stay awhile.  And above all, pray for it!  And for what purpose?  To seek the welfare--often translated as "shalom"--of the city.  Shalom is a very loaded word in the original Hebrew language; it means far more than "peace" or "welfare" and carries with it the connotation of things being how they ought to be, as in a sort of a pre-fall sense.  So Jeremiah is saying: pray this pagan nation is how God designed it to be--created by Him to love and worship Him, bearing fruit and peace and joy and giving Him glory.

And you see, in God' economy, this benefits us in the process!  Look at it in the last verse above again--"for in its welfare you will find your welfare."  As the city prospers, so do we as Christ followers!

Sadly, so often we as Christians have an escapist view of the world in mind.  We reason that someday we will leave it for Heaven when we die.  Many believer's view of the end times involves a rapture of believers wherein non-believers are "left behind" on Earth.  In many ways, we fall into Plato's dualism--that the material world is evil and the spiritual world is good.  But the biblical view of the world is very different!  God deemed that His natural creation was "good" in the Genesis account.  Revelation speaks to the "new heaven and the new earth" that will come into being one day and last for all eternity.  Instead of disposing of the world, God, through Christ, has sought to redeem and restore it.  So this, too, should be our view.  We ought not to separate ourselves from secular society and wish that it would be disposed of, with its politics, sciences, arts, etc.  Rather, we ought to pray that it would be restored and redeemed!  We ought to roll up our sleeves and invest in it!  When was the last significant contribution the church has made in the area of fine arts?  Two hundred years ago?! Why are not more believers investing themselves in the sciences or entertainment industry, two of the most godless arenas in our country today?  Do we pray for our nation with a holy fervor?  Do we work for its shalom?

Let us consider these questions for ourselves, and if we are parents, work to foster this love for our nation and our world in our children, who will be compelled not to dispose of it with all of its evil, but seek to work for its prosperity!  Let us pray that God would place in our hearts a godly love for His world...for His glory.

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Beholding the Nations

It amazes me how the Holy Spirit gently woos us to prayer.  Prayer lists can be daunting, overwhelming, and feel like...work.  Please don't misunderstand--I am not against writing out prayer lists; in fact, I do this in my ladies' bible study, and my kids keep a list near our breakfast table so we will be reminded to pray for the needs of friends and loved ones.  But how often am I inspired to pray for those things that are not expressed by family and friends, or things I do not see or know about day-to-day?  And how am I to be mindful to stop and pray for those seemingly big and vague things...like a nation?  Especially a nation I have never visited and am unfamiliar with?

Well, apart from keeping a list, or using a book or an app, I don't know how one might be prompted to pray for all.those.things.  But I can tell you how God chooses to prompt me, in those quiet moments of the morning, to pray for people whom He holds dear to His heart:

Photo courtesy of www.lifereference.wordpress.com

Through a steaming cup of coffee.

When I am holding that mug in my hand, and the deep aroma rises up and the warmth meets my face, I am gently prompted to pray for Kenya.
For Ethiopia.
For Peru.
For Brazil.
For Sumatra (and where is that exactly?  I had to look that one up on a map...turns out to be in Indonesia).
For Costa Rica.
For Nicaragua.

Turns out that the Lord brings the nations to me in a simple cup of coffee.  And suddenly it is not just me, bleary eyed in my kitchen, shuffling over to feed the cat, with a mug in hand.  It is a nation that I am suddenly prompted to behold, and consider, and lift up to a Mighty and Holy God.

And suddenly I can see dirt laden fingernails on a worn and tanned hand...


and I can consider a hard-working farmer, turning up the soil in the palm of his hand,

and I can think upon a village high up in the hills, or down in a foliage-dense valley,

and I can almost make out the face of a person picking through those green and brown and red beans, all spread out upon a table...

And I can pray.

Now, don't get me wrong, it is not eloquent.

I don't know where to begin to pray for a nation, so foreign to my own--in truth, I don't know where to begin to pray for my own nation!

Oh, but blessed be the glory of prayer, that it doesn't depend on my feeble attempt at uttering words!

I can just offer up what I have--a barefoot, robe-wearing, slurry of words asking the Lord for His grace, His gospel, His mercy, and His love upon this land that has so graciously given me this steamy brown nectar.

Perhaps you, too, can join me tomorrow morning, with your disheveled hair and your slipper socks...or in your dress clothes if you prefer to imbibe at work (or on the way), lifting up a simple prayer when you hold the warmth of your coffee cup between the palms of your hands.

Do you know where your coffee is grown?  Have you tried single-origin beans?  Oh how fun it is to "taste" each of the nations, to see which ones you like the best.  I love Brazil and Ethiopia!  I enjoyed a hearty cup of Kenya this morning!

Pour a nation into your cup tomorrow, and then pray!

Perhaps a cup of coffee can do more than to give us a boost of energy to meet the demands of our jobs or our kids or our crazy schedule....

....perhaps it can serve to fuel a new and exciting way to pray!

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"One Hundred Fold, Lord!"

Turbo's Pre-K Graduation

I've discussed the idea of "prayer mantras" in previous posts--those few words you pray over and over in regards to a particular situation that are packed full of Scripture and heartfelt meaning.  Well, today I'd love to share with you one that I pray for my son that has particular meaning for me, and might serve as an encouragement for you, too!

One of the passages I have prayed over my children for many years now is the Parable of the Sower found in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.  It tells of a sower throwing out seed among four different types of soil.  Jesus tells it to his disciples and then explains it later in the chapter. Check it out with me...

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear...

Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”    (Matthew 13:4-9, 18-23)

Now, this is a very familiar passage of Scripture for me and I have read it and prayed through it many times--perhaps you have, too. However, it has only been within the past year that it struck me that even in the "fourth soil" the seed which gave root and produced a fruit bearing plant had different yields of harvest--specifically, thirty, sixty, and one hundred fold.  It got me thinking...what was the difference?  And what kind of harvest do I want to pray for in my children's lives?

Well, for my very bright and yet very strong-willed son, Turbo, I felt very much led to pray for a "one hundred fold" harvest in his life, and I started to pray this as my prayer mantra for him throughout the ensuing days and weeks.  It wasn't but a few months later that I discovered another passage of Scripture when I was reading Genesis as part of my Bible reading program--my jaw literally dropped wide open when I read these words...

"And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him..."  -(Genesis 26:12)

Wow!  That is exactly what I had been praying for--Yes, Lord Jesus!  Let him reap one hundred fold!!

And so I continue to pray, One hundred fold, Lord! in so many of the moments of my days and weeks in the trenches of mothering my son.  In the midst of battles of will, door slams, and time-out sessions.  When we stand side-by-side preparing dinner or reading a book snuggled on the couch.  In all those glorious, difficult, or mundane moments of motherhood, when I just don't have the time or energy to pray at length for my son, and yet I want nothing short of total heart-and-soul transformation in my son and in how we relate to one another.

And should you be mistaken that short little prayers like this one are not "spiritual" enough--let me take you to a passage that can assure you that the quantity or elloquency of our words do not matter to Jesus.  In fact, you need only flip back a few pages from the Parable of the Sower in the Gospel of Matthew to dispel this myth...

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."   (Matthew 6:7-8)

So busy one, when life is hard and words are few and time is short, don't be discouraged!  You can still have a power-packed, effective, Spirit-filled prayer life with the use of prayer mantras--those "superfoods," as I like to think of them, of the Christian faith that are nutrient dense, healing, life-promoting, and drill down deep to the heart of God.

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Rain Down

Photo courtesy of globe-views.com

There are times in our lives where all we can really pray are what I call "prayer mantras."

These prayers consist of just a handful of words and yet are some of the deepest and heartfelt prayers one can utter.

I am not talking about prayers like "Bless me" or "Help."

Those are prayers in their own right, don't get me wrong, and I truly believe that the Holy Spirit does just as the Scriptures say as He intercedes for us when we pray these prayers with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26).

But the prayers that I am talking about today are a few words that pack a wealth of Scripture into them.  When you utter these words, in effect, you are recalling to mind a specific passage of Scripture and asking the Lord to honor His Word in a mighty and specific way.

Take one that I have been praying for a few weeks now, found in Hosea chapter ten.

Visit this passage with me for a moment...

"Sow for yourselves righteousness;
    reap steadfast love;
    break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
    that he may come and rain righteousness upon you."   --Hosea 10:12

So recently, my prayer mantra has been, "Rain righteousness upon this house, Lord."

In those few words, I am communicating to God that I am tired of the ungrateful hearts of my children. The whining.  My sharp words in response to the whining.  The tantrums.  The fights of strong wills.  The "No!!"s when I ask my children to put away their clothes, take a bath, brush their teeth.  The slammed doors.  The tears.  And have I mentioned the whining?

We need regenerated hearts in this family.  We need the love of Christ in our words and in our tone of voice.  We need patience.  We need peace.  In short, we need the righteousness of God to drench our hard and dry souls.  We need Him to break up the hard and fallow soil of our hearts.  We need help to seek Him.  And we can't manufacture any of that in ourselves.  Even as a believer, I must rely on the work of the Holy Spirit to soften and sanctify my heart, just as I must trust Him to bring about the gift of repentance in my children, saved and unsaved.

What I want to say is: Lord, come and soak us to the bone with your Spirit.  Drive your life-giving nourishment deep into our souls.  We thirst.  We hurt.  We ache.  We are weary and tired.  We need you above all things.

Instead, all I can do is utter my prayer mantra: Rain your righteousness on us.

And He knows.  He understands and He hears.  And as sure as in all the Scritpures, when God hears, He is sure to act.

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Worship and Warfare

Photo courtesy of thepraiseandworshipconnection.blogspot.com

I have been studying 2 Chronicles 20 this week and have found some amazing truths in the life of Jehoshaphat, one of the few good kings of the Kingdom of Judah.  He and the people of Judah were in a difficult situation as they were being attacked by their enemies, the Ammonites and Moabites.

Let's go straight to God's Word for this one today...

"After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,^[a] came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ² Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,^[b] from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord."

We see Jehoshaphat felt very afraid in verse 3, and in that fearful state, what was the FIRST thing he did?  He sought the Lord and prayed and fasted.  (How often do we do this?  When I am anxious, so often I choose to sit and worry, or pick up my PHONE instead of seeking the THRONE!)

And then Jehoshaphat prays a most amazing prayer (with the wives and littles in tow, v. 13) which praises God for His sovereignty and power...and yet also exposes his own weakness and powerlessness.  And yet, even as he confesses that he does not know what to do, he proclaims "our eyes are on you" (v. 12)...

"⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶ and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. ⁷ Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? ⁸ And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,^[c] or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ ¹⁰ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— ¹¹ behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

And God answers this prayer and assures the king that this battle with their enemies is not theirs to fight, but God's (verse 17) and He will be with them!

"You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

And we go on to see how the battle unfolds the next day.  Jehoshaphat puts a CHOIR in the lead of the troops and we see that their ONLY weapon in this war is PRAISE!!  Check it out, skipping over to verse 20...

"And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,“Give thanks to the Lord,  for his steadfast love endures forever.” ²²And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. ²³ For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Did you catch that amazing detail in verse 22..."and WHEN they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon...."  You see, the PRAISE and WORSHIP brought about the victory!!

Oh...and this is perhaps the best part...the SPOILS!!  We see in verse 25 that there were sooooo many spoils to be had that it took them THREE DAYS to gather it all up!

"When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,^[e] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day."

And they go on to name this place the "Valley of Beracah" which is literally translated "Valley of Praise" or "Valley of Blessing."  Don't we as fallen people tend to associate the mountaintop experiences as the places of great blessings with God?  But no...we see in the Scriptures that it is the VALLEYS that hold God's riches blessings for us as His children! 

I just love this passage of Scripture!  Like a diamond, every facet of it just brings forth more of God's glory as we study it this way and that in the light!  This passage might be foreign to you (like it was to me) or familiar...but either way, take time today, dear friend, to pick it up and study it and prayerfully consider the truths it contains for your prayer life and for your praise life as you face your trials, temptations, and fears this week!

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