You Need To Shut Up and Pray

You talk too much. I know this is true, because I do it too. 

We've often been told that praying is just us talking to God, but I'm realizing that's only half right. In reality, prayer is a back and forth conversation with God.

The Hebrew word "palal" is the common OT form of the word prayer "and it expresses the idea of coming between two parties" (Vine's Word Studies). In the NT, "proseuchomai" is the word you'll see most often referring to prayer to God. It's meaning isn't mere conversation, but an attitude of worship.

The question is: Are YOU talking too much in your prayers? 

And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 (ESV)

Today I realized my prayers aren't very wide. While I'm praying for others beyond myself and family, I stopped my prayers this morning and said, "Lord, where else are you calling me to focus my prayers?" It's not only because my prayers have power, but I believe God is always challenging us to live in greater awareness of others. Awareness is unlikely to take root if I'm talking all the time.

My prayer was followed by a few moments of silence and then unexpected words! I found myself praying for those impacted by the hurricanes, those soon to be impacted, and those working to impact these communities for the gospel . Prayers for President Trump and his advisers as they went to the U.N. soon came. The people of North Korea, people God created and loves, were also lifted up in my heart and mouth.

What prayers is the Holy Spirit holding for you today? Before you start the prayer wheel turnin', be sure you invite God to turn it with prayers that empower others while stretching your heart and mind. Let's be willing to shut up, listen, and THEN pray! 

Don't Stop Believing....or Talking!

Why is it that God seems to deal differently with the unbelief of His people? This question came from my recent simultaneous prep for a sermon and Sunday School lesson.

"So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." Hebrews 3:19

In Hebrews 3, God clearly reveals that Israel was kept out of the Promised Land for one reason. It wasn't their unworthiness, but their unbelief. As a result, the Jews wandered in the desert for 40 years until that unbelieving generation died out.

So why did Moses get a pass?

In Exodus 3, Moses is fully confronted by God and challenged with a great task:
"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." Exodus 3:10

If you know the story, you know that Moses offered up numerous objections. Even as he spoke directly with God, Moses continued to suffer from unbelief.

So why did God stick it out with Moses, but Israel had to wander the desert? The difference I see is a willingness to keep the conversation going. When Israel was met by the challenges of God's call, they didn't talk to Him about it at all. Instead, they began discussing who they could replace Moses with to take them back to Egypt. You know...the place they lived as slaves!

Years before this, Moses is called by God to lead these people out of that very same slavery. During the course of the conversation, Moses repeatedly attempts to get out of this call. He doesn't believe he has any ability to truly by used by God in such a big way. Essentially, he's dealing with unbelief, and yet, Moses never quits the conversation.

Therein lies the lesson. God knows we're going to have faith struggles, believing God's promises because of our own inadequacies, a long delay, or the perceived impossibility of the task. But God is gracious!

As Jesus was brought a demon-possessed boy to be healed, the boy's Father asked Jesus to do something if He was able. Jesus tells the Father that all things are possible to Him who believes. This father seems to have believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but he still dealt with doubts. Maybe it was because his son had suffered so long, but he responds to Jesus, "I do believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). Jesus then casts out the demon and heals the boy.

God knows you. God knows your heart. God knows your faith struggles. In all of this, unbelief is a constant barrier that allow us to miss God's best because we failed to pursue it. When the situations are challenging, keep the conversation going! Bring your doubts and fears to God. He is capable of not only working in your situation, but in strengthening your faith in the process. So keep talking, believing that God is working and listening!

When the Time is Right

My son just got a truck...and yet he's had it for five months.

Back in March, Tyler started driving a lot more with his permit. One morning, I began to realize we may need an extra vehicle to actually get five family members to all the places they need to go. On the exact day I had this realization, my mom called to say she and my step-dad wanted to give Tyler one of their vehicles they weren't using much anymore.

I hadn't prayed about it yet. In fact, I had barely become conscious of the need, and already God had been working out the timing on a blessing for our family. (Shout out also to my gracious siblings for being totally excited and cool with Tyler receiving this incredible gift from his grandparents.)

In April, Tyler was asked to write down three wishes for a creative writing assignment. As I read over it, I noticed Wish #2: "I wish for a car. Hopefully a truck...don't care what kind it is! And I'd like it to be black."

Meanwhile, this is what God had already provided...

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me Micah 7:7

Here's my point. Stop living in what you can see. Stop presuming God isn't working while you're still waiting. If God had given my son this truck a year ago, it would have been wasted, just sitting around while he didn't even had a permit. Instead, God brought him what was needed when it was needed and not before!

I'm reminded that God is perfect. He exists outside of time, never hurrying to catch up. God is the master storyteller working behind the scenes on our behalf. When I'm calling to Him, He hears me. Like the old gospel song says, "He may not come when you want Him, but He'll be there right on time!"

Will that black truck you've been hoping for always be God's answer? No, but our responsibility is to pray specifically and then trust God with the specifics. When the time is right, God will give us the right answer. Remember His words from Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."

A River of Prayer

Prayerwalking along the river is a favorite spot of mine. 

As I walk along I pray against my sin. I pray for my family, my friends, and my church. But, as I walked and talked with God today the image of the river became an image of my prayer life.

Like my prayers, this river changes. Some days it's choppy and churning, while other days leave it as smooth as glass. My prayers are like that too. Sometimes, I feel like a spiritual mess with more in my heart than I could ever let out through my lips. There are also the days I feel a great peace in the wake of a big answer from the Lord, or merely because I've learned to wait more patiently for the answer.

My prayers have changed alongside these waters. Certain prayers for my children have turned to praises, while others grow in persistence. Church emergencies are now water under the bridge, part of the testimony of God's work in our church. As I pray, I find God deepens the shallow expectations of many of my prayers.

The river also warns me against forgetfulness towards God's work. How many prayers have I sailed down this river? Water that was right next to me a few weeks ago has traveled hundreds of miles since. In the same way, so have many of my prayers. I've seen God answer, whether "yes" or "no", and I see that He continues working on my behalf. The river reminds me against merely throwing out new needs, but to thank Him for the requests that have since been handled by a loving, powerful God.

So whether your prayer life is choppy or calm, prayer still matters. Keep talking to God. Keep sailing those prayers down that river to the God who has created us and loves to hear from us. 

Who Really Wrote the Bible?

Did God dictate every word of Scripture, or simply inspire the men who wrote the words?

I've pondered and talked over this question with people for years. A recent reading through 1 Corinthians 7 led me to go ahead and write my thoughts on the subject.

"I, Not the Lord"
Paul's chapter on marriage reiterates God's command against divorce (1 Cor 7:10), but then he goes a step further. Paul writes that believers should remain married to their unbelieving spouses, if that spouse isn't overtly hostile to Christianity (1 Cor 7:12). But look at how he says it:

"To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her."

Paul seems certain that verse 12 isn't in conflict with God's standards, but he doesn't have a clear statement from scripture or Jesus to reference. So he qualifies that his words here didn't generate from any place he could definitively point to. These parentheses cause great hesitation in some people.

The written words of God
I actually see this parenthetical statement of Paul to be very encouraging to the idea of divine authorship. Paul understood he was writing more than just temporary letters. He reveals this by instructing the Colossians to pass their letter along for the church at Laodicea, and to read the (now lost) letter Paul had written to them as well (Colossians 4:6). These letters continue to be "passed along" in our churches today.

But if scripture is God's Word, why didn't God just write it down Himself? Simply put, God likes using us! It's incredible how involved God allows us to be in the process of Kingdom-building. The writers of the biblical books were tools in the hand of God. However, I don't believe they were mindlessly dictating, but utilized by the Lord as individuals. 

All Scripture is God-Breathed
2 Timothy 3:16 is clear that all scripture is "God-breathed". That means, God was intimately involved in the process. Some interpret this as God telling each writer every single word to write down. That just isn't the God I've gotten to know in my walk with Christ, and my reading of the Bible.

God was the inspiration, but the individual writers' fingerprints are evident as you read their books. Matthew was passionate about reaching the Jewish people with the Gospel, and so under the inspiration of God, he wrote a gospel that references the Old Testament and speaks to that audience.

Meanwhile, Luke partnered with Paul in reaching non-Jews for Jesus. Luke certainly could have written a gospel like Matthew's, but God inspired him to write based on his experience and concern for Gentiles. So while the two books contain similar details of Jesus' life, you can see the way God allowed the gospel passions of the individual to come through their writing.

This is why two pastors or bible teachers can cover the same passage with lessons that are absolutely biblical, but not identical. God has inspired the individual. Whether God dictated each word, or inspired the writers as they worked, God still has a touch on every letter of His Word. 

The Bible is God's Word
I have no doubts that the Bible is God's inspired Word. I've studied original manuscripts. I've attempted to live my life by it's words for decades, and encouraged others to do the same. Watching the impact of these words in my life and others, has only served to increase my confidence. I pray three things for you in reading this post:

1. That you will trust God's Word.
2. As a result of that trust, you will read and apply the Bible daily.
3. Remember God made you as an individual to serve Him in a unique way. Don't try to be like someone else!

Did Jesus Cheat?

The only time I cheated in school was Kindergarten. 

(Where was this shirt when I really needed it?!)

Even at that young age, numbers never made sense to me. But they made sense to Emily! And so I casually glanced at her answers on the way to my first ever 100%, sticker covered counting page! Thankfully, my 1st grade teacher realized I couldn't tell addition from subtraction and got me straightened out the following year.

So yes, I cheated.
But, did Jesus?

That's the question I was recently asked through my role as an online writer with GotQuestions.org

"Could Jesus really be a complete sacrifice if He rose from the dead? Isn't that cheating?"

I think it's a great question. And the good news is that Jesus didn't cheat death, He beat death!

Neither Jesus' death or resurrection were to be a surprise, clearly stating the need for both on numerous occasions:

"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Luke 9:22

So while Jesus knew that He was appointed both to die and to rise again, that didn't make His death any less of a sacrifice or hardship. In fact, to see the distress of Jesus crying out, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?", grabs me every time. So don't be of the impression that the cross was a breeze for Jesus since He would rise again.

Jesus rising from the dead wasn't cheating death, but beating death! His resurrection proved to everyone that when He offered us eternal life, He could deliver! Jesus says in John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish." If Jesus were still dead, there would be no reason to believe such a claim.

So Jesus rising from the dead doesn't diminish the life and death He lived to become our complete sacrifice. Instead, it serves as the ultimate proof that Jesus can deliver on absolutely every promise He makes. 

You Don't Question God!!!!

A new Christian recently told me the one thing he knew is that you don't question God.

I told him he actually knew less than he thought.

People often say to question God is presumptuous and even faithless. I argue there are two ways you can question God. One is acceptable, and one is not. 

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk questioned God. With all the evil he saw around him, he questioned if God was paying attention.

"...why do you look idly at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?" Habakkuk 1:13

Take a few minutes to read the short book of Habakkuk, and you find this man questioning God on every page! What's more remarkable, is that each time he brings his questions and complaints, God is willing to answer Habakkuk's questions and accusations.

Why would God do this? Essentially, it was due to the attitude this prophet displayed in his questions. Habakkuk closes his book saying that even when the situations around him don't make sense, 
"...yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:18)

1) The wrong way to question God
Questioning Him in anger, unwilling to hear the response. You refuse to allow God's purposes to have priority above your own.

2) The right way to question God
Questioning in sincerity, willing to hear. You recognize that God doesn't always work the way we do (Isaiah 55:8-9), and so you genuinely seek to understand.

To question God correctly, doesn't mean you can't be honest in your emotions. If you read all of Habakkuk's short book, you see a man with very raw emotions. But, he didn't allow his feelings or circumstances to close him off to genuinely listen for God's answers. This honest dialogue between a man and his God, ultimately satisfied the prophet and settled his heart for what was to come.

So talk to God. Bring your questions, because He can handle them. And while you're at it, be sure to bring your thanks as well for all the ways He's worked before.