Tag Archives: prayer

Where Is God?

18 Tuesday Dec 2012

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Where is God?  It’s the easy question to ask after what just happened in Newtown, Connecticut.  Where is God?

Some would say our problems start with prayer not being a part of the daily school routine.  Really?  I would say that God IS in schools when He is in in the heart and actions of those in the schools.  I would say that prayer exists in schools when believers take the time to pray – alone or with group of people.

I can’t help but wonder how many people railing against prayer being taken out of school allow their children to spend their time on the X-Box and PS3 playing Call of Duty or Hitman or Grand Theft Auto.  Where is God in that?  Where is God in spending hours on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest?  Where is God on HBO or TNT or most of the network channels?  Where is God in the lyrics of so many of the songs being played over and over.

I am not saying that any of these activities are bad in and of themselves (well, some of the video games are over the top, song lyrics are reprehensible and TV shows full of smut) and some of these things offer opportunities for fellowship where God can be exalted (think Duck Dynasty on A&E!).

The point is, God is wherever we invite Him to be.  God is in our midst whether we are reading the Bible or overindulging at the bar.  God is in our midst whether times are great and we don’t really need him or we are confused and baffled over why 20 children are murdered and we don’t know why He didn’t prevent it.  God is always in our presence.  The question may be do we always seek God so that we can live in His presence?

Grace and peace.

Newtown and Gun Control

17 Monday Dec 2012

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I’m a firm believer that guns are not responsible for the death of people.  Knives are not responsible for the death of people.  Cyanide is not responsible for the death of people.  Fertilizer is not responsible for the death of people.

What do we say to the parents who lost children in China?  What do we say to the Jews?  What do we say to Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims?  What do we say to the families who lost family in Oklahoma City?  What do we say to the victims of drunk drivers?  There are plenty of statistics floating around about the number of drunk driving deaths being higher than random gun violence.

We have to solve the problem, not the symptom or the result.  People are responsible for the death of people.  Hearts that are not right are responsible for the death of people.  Minds that need attention are responsible for the death of people.  When will this country decide to face the problem instead of the result?

To that end, I issue this simple prayer.

Lord, prepare me for battle.  Arm me with every piece of weaponry you armed your son, Jesus, with as he walked the earth.  Give me strength, wisdom, courage and desire to face evil in this world the way Jesus faced evil.  Amen.

Grace and peace.

Lean On Me

14 Friday Dec 2012

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I talked about the power fear has over me.  It still resonates through my body this day.  The other thing about fear is it’s weight.  Man, it is heavy.  At times it weighs down on my so much it almost pushes all the air out of my body.  Other times it weighs so much it simply paralyzes me.  It makes my head hurt and disrupts my thoughts.  It leaves me feeling like I am buried under a pile of rocks, alone, with nowhere to go.

I’m thankful for friends I can call on.  They help lift the weight.  They help carry the burden at times.  The song, sung by Bill Withers (and recently done so well by Nicholas David on The Voice) has lyrics I’ve never listened to or caught before reading them today.  The third stanza hit me like a truck today.

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won’t let show

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand (Chorus)
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Second Verse
(Chorus)

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me

Just calling is hard sometimes.  The weight of fear crushes my hopes, my dreams, my faith and my ability to call on people at times.  The weight of fear reminds me that I cannot do things on my own and tells me I am weak because of it, that I will fail, that I will not get out of this present situation without being battered and broken.

Like so many others, I turn to God and call out to him but I have seen prayers answered in painful ways, I have seen tears that don’t stop flowing, pain that never goes away, relationships destroyed.  God doesn’t always tie things up with a pretty red bow…and that drives my fear even more.  The questions of “what if” roll through my mind like a freight train – loud, earth-shaking, powerful – and leave the weight of fear on my shoulders.

Still, I will call on God and ask that He do more than I can imagine, that he will heal and make new, that he will provide so that I can share in abundance and redemption on this earth as well as in the next life.  I will slowly, but surely, call on friends and ask them to pray, to help carry my burden.  The power and weight of fear will lurk and will reach inside me at times, but for today I will still hold on to hope for a better tomorrow.  For if I don’t have hope, what do I have?

Grace and peace.

Thankfulness

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

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I woke up Monday morning to the news of a 10 year losing his courageous and long battle with cancer.  Today, I spoke with a man helping me find a job whose son committed suicide after his parents went through an ugly divorce.

Every morning I talk to God and tell Him what scares me and what I’m worried about.  It is getting harder and harder to talk about my fears and worries when I hear stories like the two above.  I have incredible friends who love me and surround me with support when times are hard and when things are rolling along.  I have two kids that make me both humble and proud that God would give me such beautiful gifts.  I have gifts, abilities and talents that will allow me to do many things and have a measure of health that still allows me to get around pretty well.  Those are just a few of the good things I have in my life.

As I write this, I keep coming back to the thought of praying each morning and telling God my fears when He has blessed me so generously in this realm yet, so much more, has blessed me with a victory that will last forever.  How simple-minded I see myself at times that I can focus on what I can feel and see when the greatest gifts are unseen.

I hope my prayers will continue to move to prayers of thanksgiving.  Though I know I can still voice my concerns, I hope my focus sees the blessings but much, much more than that, I hope I continue to grow closer and closer to God so that my focus is on His will and what He has in store for me…today and for eternity.  I have so much to be thankful for and I give God all the glory for the beauty in my life and for His continual presence when life isn’t as beautiful.

I ask that you say a prayer for Rex’s family as they grieve his loss and for Hank and his healing from losing his precious son.

Grace and peace.

Thanksgiving

22 Thursday Nov 2012

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It’s a day in America where we stop to give thanks (and, apparently shop for the best holiday bargains).  A day.  I need to work on that in my life.

Father God, may I remember to give thanks everyday.  May I learn to live a life of thanksgiving.  I pray I will give you the challenges and burdens of the day while never forgetting to thank you for the one and only thing that really has meaning for me, your love, mercy, grace, and salvation.  Father, my desire this day is to be thankful every day, all day, for what truly has meaning and that the things of life will be seen with perspective for who you are and for all you have given me and sacrificed for me.

May the words of my lips and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you Lord and may my actions reflect your love.  May I learn to see people the way you see them and I pray I will learn to treat them with all the compassion and love you have shown me.

Thank you for Jesus, for His life and example, for His death and love and for His resurrection and the hope He gives me and all men.

In the Holy name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Grace and peace.

Do You Know Me?

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Christian Living, Friendship

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There are days when a topic, idea or theme seems to come around more frequently and I can’t help but wonder why or what I need to learn from it.  Today the theme is supporting people whether you agree with their decisions or not.

A dear and trusted friend told me today, “You’re a good friend to support people no matter their decisions.”  This was after an hour long conversation with another very close friend about a third friend and the decision the third friend was making.  Is there something God is wanting me to hear in this?  Or share?

I have found that the people who typically give me their advice on what I need to do have not really listened to me and do not know my heart.  Oh, they see they outside manifestations of what I do but they don’t listen enough to really know me.  They don’t know what I’m hiding, what I’m afraid to say, what I’m afraid to do, what I’m too stubborn to do anyway.  They don’t listen.  A year ago I was attacked by a man at my church for a decision I had made.  He doesn’t know me.  He has never asked me any questions about who I am, where I am with God, whether I pray or what my hopes and desires are, nothing about me.  Yet, he knew the right answer for my situation and knew God knew I was making a mistake.  Do I believe God speaks through people?  Definitely.  Do I believe there are prophets among us to share a word from God?  Certainly.  Do I believe God would send someone to me who I have no relationship with, no trust in, who doesn’t know any of my story or what has happened to me, to tell me what I need to do?  No, I just don’t believe that.

Now, I cherish the opinions of the people I draw in, the people I am able to share my heart with, to confess to, to dream with and who pray with and over me.  These are the people who are the closest to knowing the true me, knowing my heart, as there is to God.  I have found they offer opinions but spend more time listening and in prayer than talking.  I see Jesus in them.  Jesus knows me yet He doesn’t even tell me what to do.  He leaves things to my will and in that moment, I hope I will learn to listen to Him more than make my own choices.

I see where my choices have taken me.  I’m divorced, I’m separated from my children, I’m unemployed and I’m scared.  That is where my choices have taken me.  I also see where my mistakes have led me.  Closer to God.  Sadly, I learn too few lessons from all the times I’ve done the right thing, the better thing, the thing I have prayed about and listened to the Spirit.  I glide through those and am happy they worked out the way they did.  It’s in my mistakes, my failings, falling flat on my face in agonizing pain that I have learned to draw nearer to God, that I have allowed myself to become a little more intimate with Him.  Are my friends any different?

I support my friends but not always their decisions.  If they ask, I will give them my opinion, I will pray with them and over them and then I will support them.  If God is leading them to green pastures and still waters, I want to walk with them.  If their decision is leading to a crash in the desert, I want to walk with them.  God has given me insight and experiences to share but He knows their hearts better than me, He knows His will for them, I do not.

I have walked through green pastures with my friends when I thought their decisions weren’t the best choice and I have walked through hard times with friends when I thought things were looking up.  God knows their hearts and I am here to show His love.  I pray for my choices and for those of my friends.  I am learning to trust God more and more with my circumstances and I can more easily trust Him with the circumstances of others.

I hope the people around me will simply love me through thick and thin.  I hope I will simply love my friends through thick and thin.  Only God knows.  Only God knows what is right.  Only God heals wounds.  I can love.  I can encourage.  I can cry and pray and share in joyous victory.

The Skit Guys made a statement in a video called The Chisel that sticks with me.  “You have never let God down because you never held Him up.  He holds you up with His mighty right hand.”  I am not holding my friends up, God is, and I they will not let me down.  Oh, there may be hurt and pain.  I’ve seen the collateral damage I’ve left because of choices I made.  Still, it is only God that holds me up.  It is only God who’s strength I need in the end.  He knows me.  He knows my heart, both the beauty and the areas that need more refinement.  I will be there for my friends to lean on and I will remind them that God holds them up, He provides the foundation and He has the answers for their life.  Just as he does for mine.

I hope my friends will be there to lean on, to help me see His will and to work through the rough spots and share joy in the good times.  I hope I will always be that person for them too.

Grace and peace.