What if I’m praying wrong?

February 29, 2024

Maria God's will, Healing, Holy Spirit, James 5, Matthew 6, Prayer, Romans 8, The Lord's Prayer , , , Leave a comment

…we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us….. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will…..Romans 8:26-27 NLT

Wednesday night at the prayer meeting, knowing that most of the shared prayer requests involve physical healing, surgeries and care for loved ones and friends, Pastor Joe gave us some guidance.  Though God does want us to pray for bodily and mental wellness, we should also add petitions for spiritual healing in each of these cases. He cited James’ teaching on healing prayers that include requests for forgiveness of sins.

He further reminded us how God is working good in and through all painful situations for believers (Romans 8:28) and that the Holy Spirit prays for us.

I couldn’t remember where in Chapter 8 God teaches that the Spirit in us actually intercedes for us, so I looked up those passages this morning.

I felt relieved AND excited to read that the Holy Spirit continually aligns his prayers with God’s will.  And that the Father knows what the Spirit is praying for, on my behalf.

Haven’t you heard teaching that reassures us that if God knows what we need, that implies he’s going to act on it? But what if I’m not sure what I need?  What if all my prayers are just about what I want him to do? As in: just remove this XYZ suffering and make everything get back to normal!

How stunning to know that the Father actually has specific things he wants you and me to pray for. That makes me curious? What does our God want us to pray for?

Maybe Jesus’ model prayer pops into your mind. When asked, our Lord responded to his disciples, with:  Pray like this….. Father, may your name be made famous and honored by all, cause your kingdom to come more and more, and may all of your will be done…..

That’s a good place to start. Beyond that, if we don’t know all of what God wants, the Bible is replete with enough about his purposes that we can incorporate more of those into our prayers.

I want to grow in this way. For example, when I pray for one of Mike’s meetings ‘to go well’, I could add: Cause Mike to remember that you are guiding him always, so he has no need to be nervous.  ….or…… As you protect us on this trip, may we be looking for how you provide just what we need in every circumstance. Remind us to relax into your fatherly, loving and good care. For then we can praise you and share with others how you always come through!

I’m excited to expand how I pray AND I am grateful to God for providing the Holy Spirit as my safety net. Even when I pray ‘selfishly,’ unaware of all I COULD be asking for, the Spirit takes my prayers and aligns them with what the Father would like to have me pray. Thank you, three-in-one God!

Control issues?

February 22, 2024

Maria Listening to God, Mark 6, Prayer, Trusting God , , 1 Comment

He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. Mark 6:8 NLT

Are you practiced at off-loading your anxieties onto Jesus?  Do you have a means for getting them out of your head, either expressing them out loud as you talk to Jesus or writing them down?

Confession time:  This post about what I currently am angsting about is probably going to seem VERY silly-stupid to you!

Yesterday morning, distracted by swirling thoughts during my quiet time, I stopped and wrote down everything I feared, each matter weighing on me.

I’m soon going to make a short trip alone. I’ll be gone 4 nights.  Usually, when Mike and I travel by car, I pack a cooler and bags with our kind of food and snacks. Lots of protein and some of my low-carb almond bread for lunches.  Compared to many Americans, we probably eat weird. By all means, for dinners, we are grateful to eat what our hosts provide.

On this trip, I will be helping my sister-in-law go through Mom’s apartment, sorting, saving and getting rid of things. Among other things, I’ve been stressing over what to do about lunches.  Eating out is pricey and the food I could bring or fix would be much healthier.  But it’s complicated because we’ll be most of each day at Mom’s independent living place. Her former apartment has only a kitchen sink and a frig. No big deal since the residents receive all their meals in a common dining room where they can socialize. But what am I going to do for lunch? I don’t want to plan without taking Eve into consideration. She eats breakfast. I don’t for I wait until lunch for my first meal.

As trivial as all this is, the fact remained is that ‘it’ was bothering me. So, I stopped and told Jesus.

After I flushed my concerns out of me and saw them on paper, I did the next step I learned from Jamie Winship (see his website: https://www.identityexchange.com/ ) by asking Jesus:

What do YOU think? What do you want me to know?

And what do you want me to do?

Distractions taken care of, I picked up with my prayers and bible reading. About a half hour later, Jesus’ instructions to his twelve disciples from Mark’s gospel popped into my mind.

Is that what you want me to do, Lord? Take nothing? Make no provision?

Then an ‘aha’ question occurred to me: Might you thinking I have a control problem?

Is this your way of teaching me that I can trust you?

Five times, I sensed he was kindly and gently responding ‘Yes’

I took a deep breath and said, Okay, Lord. Have it your way.  I WILL trust you. I don’t think I will starve.  I’ll pack a lunch just for my travel day there and count on you to provide. Maybe it IS time, I practice what I say I believe about you being my provider.

Not that it’s not okay to take provisions with you.  But I’m realizing that this opportunity might be both a gift to me to see him come through as well as a way to loosen my grip.

I know my two daughters-in-law would totally agree with Jesus. They are both health-conscious women but relaxed about food in a way that I have yet to grow into. 

So, an adventure awaits. I’ll let you know what happens on the other side of this trip.

But what about you?  If you are a westerner, you probably struggle with control issues in some area(s) of your life?  Just to name a few…..do you trust God for the salvation of your grown kids?  For God to bring in sufficient income each month? For your relationships with difficult family members or people at work and at church?  For guidance about important decisions? For enough time during the day to get done what you must?

We all cling to our independence in at least some area of our lives.  God has let me go on ‘in my way’ for a while. For sure, I’ve changed some. But this feels like a bigger step, not to take any food with me. But I DO want to practice trusting God! And I’m putting my money on him that he’ll surprise me with his gentle goodness.

Just what IS the desire of your heart?

February 15, 2024

Maria Psalm 21 , , , , 1 Comment

You have granted him his heart’s desire …Psalm 21:2 NIV

If the Lord appeared before you and asked you what you wanted, what would you say? Are you prepared to ask for just one desire? Would that tumble off your lips without much reflection?

We just said goodbye to Mom, my mother-in-law, whom I’ve known for 44 years. During that last 2 years, she suffered a lot, almost dying from sepsis during a hospital stay. All along, she was hoping that doctors and medicine would restore her physical capacities. A very human response, for sure. But it looked like her faith was in doctors and drugs.

She did mention to me several times over the past two years (and to other family members) that she was at peace with dying. But I think she was imagining that transition happening one night in her sleep. And in the end, she did slip off to the Kingdom while peacefully sleeping.

But before the Lord granted her that prayer, he led her along a different path, one that involved losing ability after another. When she did pass, she weighed 79 pounds. She couldn’t swallow liquids or food anymore, couldn’t see faces clearly, let alone the written word, couldn’t speak much and wasn’t even able to get herself out of a chair or the bed. And she was totally aware of these losses. Her memory was still intact.

I learned a lot about God walking through this process with her.  I live in a different part of the country, but during her last two years I spent time with her, both in her presence and with daily phone calls.

My desire for her all along was that she would long for Jesus more than anything else. That seeing him face to face would be her primary heart’s desire.  On the last day, she did arrive at that point. Cousin Terry, her niece, named after her, shared the Gospel with her one last time over facetime. She encouraged Mom just to tell Jesus, “I want you, Jesus!”.  I did hear her whisper, for the first time in my presence, “I DO want God!” That was February 9, her last day in that body.

Reading Psalm 21 yesterday, I marveled at this example of a godly man asking for the one thing he wants more than anything in the world. In that same Psalm, God does grant what he petitions. How do we know the writer is ‘a godly man’?  Look at how the Holy Spirit describes him:

The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! Psalm 21:1 NIV

He is totally God-focused, exalting the Lord and exulting him him. Just what would a man with that kind of heart ask for? We know he’s a king, so he has plenty of ‘stuff’. Could it be physical strength or a happy family, peace with his enemies? We know from verse 3 mentioned above that God did indeed grant his request. 

Here is what the king wanted more than anything else:

He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. Psalm 21:4 NIV

That is what Mom now has received. Unending days of LIFE! The life that Jesus came in person to give us. Now, in part, and one day soon, fully-orbed life in his presence.  Jesus wasn’t talking about life as we know it on Earth 1.0 with its first version of bodies, but a different life, one freed from suffering, without corruption, brokenness, or disappointments.

Yet… I’m sad that Mom didn’t get to experience more of that abundant life while she was still with us.  I don’t believe she knew or imagined the kind of love with which the Godhead has for her. She received a meager diet of biblical truth. She only started attending a gospel-rich bible study in her last year, when she moved to Asheville. I thank God for the Baptist pastor, Shekinah, whose church is next door to her former independent living residence.  She began to know in a deeper way our Jesus whom the bible reveals in both the Old and New Testaments. She witnessed someone who was bubbling over with genuine love because she, this pastor, knows how much Jesus loves her. 

A person who has experienced God’s love for him has his desires changed over time.  I want to be like the man in Psalm 21, who knows and seeks one thing. I am sure that this is exactly what God promises to give us.

A prayer for any situation

February 8, 2024

Maria 1 Corinthians 2, Exodus 33, God's Glory, Prayer, Psalm 20 , , , , , Leave a comment

Moses said, “Please show me your glory” Exodus 33:18 NIV

This morning with a cup of coffee at hand, I opened up to Psalm 20. I needed God’s word to shape my mind for this day.  I’m in the truck with Mike right now as we travel to Asheville to say goodbye to Mom who is dying.

The first part of Psalm 20 is a petition, asking God to grant his people several marvelous gifts of help and sustenance. Then comes verse 4 (NLT): May he grant your heart’s desires….

I paused and said to myself: Just what IS your desire, Maria, in this situation that involves Mom, her two sons, Mike and Steve and you?

I was about to form a response with details of her passing and the ‘boys’ grief, when what popped into my mind was Moses’ petition to witness God’s glory!

Not what I was expecting. But it thrilled me.  I saw it as evidence that bit, by bit, I am growing more like Christ.  I DO have ‘the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16).  Not completely, but each less-clingy, less-desperate detailed request is a way I can release control over my life and hand Jesus the reins. It’s a way of praying like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he submitted to the Father’s will.

I don’t know what the weekend holds, but I do know that we have a Good Shepherd to lead us by the hand as we walk with Mom through the dark valley of death.  He will bring us to the other side.  May we see his glory!

Changing up how I pray

February 6, 2024

Maria 1 Corinthians 2, House of Prayer, Matthew 6, Prayer, Praying in the Spirit , , , , Leave a comment

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Matthew 6:5 ESV

When you pray, don’t babble on and on…….. Matthew 6:7 NLT

Do you find it hard to pray?  Do you struggle to know if God will accept the words you use, that they will be pleasing to him, or   ‘enough’? Do you even know what to say?

Sometimes I wonder, ‘Do I have to pray earnestly with feeling or can I pray in an ordinary tone?’  Wes, who was our mischievous, manipulative, incorrigible son (although irresistibly cute!) used to implore me, begging with a long drawn-out , “PLEEEEEEEEZE, Mom. PLEEZE, PLEEZE, PLEEZE….” until I caved. 

Is that how I view God, the Father? 

Some books I’ve been reading have gently redirected my manner of praying as well as the content. And they have added a preliminary, ongoing preparation in order to pray.

Oswald Chambers, a British pastor at the turn of the 20th century, taught his students how to pray simply and if I can say so, matter of factly.  Not a ho-hum approach as though we don’t care about the outcome, but a matter-of-factness that comes from trusting God’s knowledge, wisdom and timing.  In all but one occasion, and that in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing what awaited him, Jesus simply talked to his Father using normal words and without any begging. 

I wrote in my journal: Huh, I guess I DON’T have to convince God with earnest feelings, but pray with confidence as Jesus did. 

I’m not saying that heart-felt, emotion-laden praying is wrong. I’m just not someone who traffics in deep emotions on a daily basis. I process rationally, following my thoughts to figure out my heart motives.

In one of his short reflections from his book, If Ye Would Ask, Oswald explains what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit.  Since the Holy Spirit inhabits us, that makes our bodies a house of prayer. Our job is to clean our temple on a daily basis, taking care of our thoughts and practices.  Then we simply communicate to the Spirit what we personally need or intercessions on behalf of someone else.

Chambers models how we are to present with simple details, the person and the situation to the Spirit of God in us. That is praying ‘in the Spirit’ or in the place where the Spirit is. Afterwards, we leave the matter in his hands to intercede with inexpressible groans on behalf of our petitions.  He does the emoting.

I recently read a biography of Mrs. Oswald Chambers who, with the ability to use shorthand at the rate of 250 words a minute, transcribed all of Oswald’s talks and teachings.  The biographer Michelle Ule provides abundant examples of both Oswald and his wife’s (Biddy) prayers. For example:

Father, we lift up Steve who is caring for our mom. Give him the wisdom he needs today. Amen.

The Holy Spirit will do the rest, according to the GOOD will of the Father. And isn’t that what we want?

But then maybe we don’t.  Maybe we’re afraid of God’s will. Maybe what we REALLY want is OUR will to be done.

That is what provides me anxiety in my life.  I know what I think is best. But what if God’s will doesn’t line up with my desires? I don’t know God’s thoughts, his plans. But scripture says otherwise.

I am finding that the only and actually the most liberating answer to that dilemma of my will vs God’s will is the fact that, as Christians, we actually have been given the ‘mind of Christ’.  Yes, it’s true.

“Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT

So….is it that simple…whatever I think, that’s what Jesus thinks?  Yes and no.  This is my take, but it’s what scripture teaches us. The more we soak in God’s word and let his supernatural holy, ‘ex’-pired or God-breathed words shape our thoughts, the more we develop a mind that thinks like Jesus and is receptive to the Father’s communications as was the Son when he walked among us. That’s what growing in holiness is. Growing like God. Learning to think like God.

My job is to keep directing my thoughts back to God. You and I DO have that power, that ability to think about what we choose.  Dallas Willard refers to that freedom as the only liberty we truly have, to focus and aim our thoughts toward a particular end.

For you and me to be able to say without fear, “Your will be done,” we have to trust God. And to trust him, we have to KNOW him. If I’m focusing on problems, circumstances, or suffering, I’m not thinking ‘in the Spirit’.  But the more I think biblically, the more I will know and recognize Christ’s thoughts and they become mine.  Not totally but more and more.

This is my daily goal.

What makes a good day for you?

January 27, 2024

Maria Galatians 2, God's love, Gospel, Jeremiah 31, John 17 , , 3 Comments

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:22-23 NIV

I didn’t sleep well the other night and woke up yesterday morning VERY tired, with a cold hovering near my body.  In short, I felt blah about everything.  Thankfully, this doesn’t happen too often. At one point I did nap for 30 minutes and walked for another 30 minutes talking and listening to God. “Jesus, I’m tired, I have a cold and I’m preoccupied about Mom.  I open my hands and release all this yuk to you. I want to receive whatever you have for me today.”

By the time I got back to the house I was thanking the Lord for ‘the blahs’, for they led me to ponder what makes for a good day. I admit that being productive in my self-assigned tasks results in a mild euphoria with which I measure my days.

Providentially preceding these blahs, my friend Ali had forwarded on a Tim Keller sermon where he explains the impact that Jesus’ words SHOULD make on our lives as believers.  He posed the question, “How would your life change if you actually believed that the Father loved you as much as he loves his son, Jesus?”  Keller pointed out that most of us live our lives trying to prove that we are worthy of love. We start from a belief, obviously FALSE, that the Father isn’t really pleased with us.

This morning, I ran across a clause in Galatians 2:14 where Paul writes to the Galatian church about his meeting with believers in Jerusalem:  But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all……..(ESV)

When we don’t believe that God the Father loves us as much as he loves Jesus, then we CANNOT live our lives aligned with the truth of the Gospel. Period. Full stop!

Let that teaching soak in. Knowing the Gospel precedes any doing, any imitating Jesus’ actions with others.

Jeremiah’s words to Israel attest to this same truth: Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:3 NLT

Let’s go back to John 17 and look at what Jesus declares in verse 26 (NIV) I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

I believe that if I were to live each day from a posture of being infinitely loved by the greatest love that there is in the universe, then 1) people would notice how different I am. 2) I would consider EVERY day a good day, just due to being loved by Absolute, Perfect Love himself.

That means, whether we sit on a park bench, enjoying and quietly contemplating what we see, whether we energetically get through our ‘to-do’ list, or whether we are feeble in mind and body and CANNOT even do anything for ourselves, as my mother-in-law is these days, it’s STILL a good day as a beloved child of the Father and brother/sister of Jesus.

When did you lose your sense of wonder?

January 19, 2024

Maria Colossians 4, Holy Wonder, Matthew 18, Matthew 26, Prayer, Psalm 18 , , 2 Comments

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 NIV

What are little children like?  I picture little ones between the ages of 4 and 7, wide-eyed with anticipation, totally trusting the one they’re with. Sadly, it seems kids age out of that wonder stage. But do they have to?

I remember my last spontaneous, wonder-filled summer morning.  I was actually seven, or about to turn seven in July.  I lived with my mom and grandmother in an apartment in Devon, Pennsylvania. Mom and I shared a bedroom. That morning, she woke me up with a smile, saying ‘Get dressed! This is the day.’ 

We were off to Europe for a good chunk of the summer. That memory is painted in turquoise. For having had a bath the night before, I pulled on a turquoise top I loved and was ready for ADVENTURE in lickety-split.  I don’t remember the details, just those first 5 minutes of that day. Somehow, we travelled up to the port of New York to catch a trans-Atlantic ship bound for Southampton, England.

Most of us, as we move through childhood and adolescence into adulthood, lose our sense of wonder, our excited anticipation about a possible adventure. When we don’t feed that innate child-like ability and receptivity to being astonished, we grow dry, practical, no longer able to respond with spontaneity, having lost our taste, desire or expectation for new adventures and invigorating surprises.

I’ve been reading Oswald’s book, If Ye Will Ask. He poses four child-like questions we can personalize:

-“I wonder how God will answer this prayer?

-I wonder how God will answer the prayer the Spirit is praying in me?

I wonder what glory God will bring to Himself out of the strange perplexities I am in?

I wonder what new turn His providence will take in manifesting Himself in my ways?”

The first time I customized these questions to fit the needs of my day, I immediately relaxed. Psalm 18:9 came to mind – He brought me out into a broad place; (ESV).

This ‘wonder’ perspective shifts the focus off of my immediate needs onto the Lord’s purposes. It makes me curious. It lifts my gaze, my focus off of me and what I want to loop up and out.  That brings to mind two commands: one from Matthew 26:31 ‘Watch and pray!’ and the other from Colossians 4:2 ‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.’

Here are two fresh examples of how I’m applying these wonder questions to my needs.

My recent round-trip to Tampa to care for my granddaughters took place during terrible winter storms. Both travel days included delays with the high potential for cancelled flights.

Having read Oswald during my week in Tampa, the day I returned home, I felt totally calm with an excited curiosity of what God was going to do.

I realistically faced the fact that if I couldn’t make my connection, that I might have to spend the night near the airport. But that would be a new adventure, for sure. And I find adventures to be energizing, breaks from routine. The Lord obviously decided it was more important for me to arrive home in only one travel day. Mike was VERY grateful to have me back with him that night.

The bigger blessing was the calmness this approach brought to my day. At the airport and on the two flights, I was able to point several people to God’s goodness and total control over all details in our lives.

That was a short-term practical exercise in wonder.  Here’s a long-term one that is front and center in our lives.  Mike’s mom at 95 is declining rapidly and is scared about all the changes and losses she is undergoing.  She now needs more money to pay for assisted living. Of course, our Father knows here needs, but instead of narrowly focusing on the details of these two situations, I am praying the ‘wonder prayers’.  Just how is God going to be glorified in his provision? What is the Holy Spirit actually praying IN Mom? What is he doing IN her?  I’m curious to witness the creative ways will God use in Mom’s life to show his love. Finally, what will we, her family, experience as we accompany her on her last earthly adventure?

I’m seeing in a new way, the reality of how God’s purposes are bigger than any of my situations. And that relaxes me, for I trust his goodness, his love and his wisdom. May his will be done in my life and the lives of those I pray for.

Look up to see what God is doing

January 13, 2024

Maria Anxiety, Colossians 4, Fear, Genesis 21, Hopelessness, Job 34, Joshua 5, Matthew 26, Numbers 22, Prayer, The Lord's Prayer, Watchman , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Genesis 21:19 NIV

I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days about how short-sighted I can be.  At times very inward-focused on troubling circumstances rather than considering God. Surely you and I are the same, each with both personal situations and an orbit of people and persistent problems or crises whose details trouble, frighten or seem to multiply.

Reading about Hagar’s situation when she was abruptly shoved out of the household of the richest man in the neighborhood, I thought about how she would have processed this sudden turn of events. She tumbled from a high-status position as the mother of Abraham’s first-born son, to being an outcast whose son, now a teenager, was going to die of thirst because they had run out of water. Looking horizontally at her circumstances, there was no way out.

But God! He spoke to her, painting a picture of the reality that he had planned, a staggeringly amazing future for Ishmael. Stunned and lightened by such hope-birthing words, she lifted her head to see beyond her immediate problem. That’s when she spotted the thirst-quenching, life-giving well.

Numerous examples of similar corrected vision dot the scriptures.

  • Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD. Numbers 22:31 NIV
  • Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua 5:13 NIV

So, what is it that has you feeling hopeless?  Maybe it’s the state of the world with irreconcilable wars and conflicts, or the politics of your nation that feel futile. Or maybe the rapid decline of morality in our cultures, even in some of our churches. 

For me, I carry concern over my mother-in-law’s physical decline and lack of happy anticipation of her future with Jesus. Friends in my Bible study carry heavy burdens regarding children and grandchildren and I pray for these needs. Yet, from a horizontal vista, in many of these situations, nothing encouraging ‘appears’ to be happening.

Right after I read about Hagar’s upward shift of vision, I picked up a devotional where I read Jesus’ words to his sleepy men at the Gethsemane Garden. He commanded them to ‘Watch and pray’. Immediately, I connected what Jesus counseled with the value of looking up.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Matthew 26:41 NIV

I don’t think Jesus is warning his disciples about the temptation to fall asleep.  Rather because of Satan’s whispered doubts, they and we fall into discouragement, fear and anxiety.  We count the odds instead of counting on God.  But we are to be like watchmen on a castle’s ramparts looking for the help that has been promised.  And we are to pray. That is, to lay before the Savior of the world what we ‘see’ and then tell the truth of what God has done, is doing, can do and has promised to do. We can be like Job whose words in 34:32 go: ‘Show me what I do not see!’.  Then we can add, ‘Father, protect me AGAINST these temptations to doubt and worry.’

So, for the last few days, I’ve been repeating out loud several times a day ‘Watch and Pray’. I don’t want to miss what God is doing.

Apparently, the Spirit of God wants to make sure I get his message loud and clear. For, last night when I was thumbing through a book filled with liturgies for work (Every Moment Holy, Volume III, The Work of the People), I came across a margin reference to  Colossians 4:2, along with the words:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful, (Berean Standard Bible)

Besides watching, praying and thanking God as he brings about solutions to our burdens, we are also to be alert, keeping a look out for his imminent arrival. It’s a true statement, ‘we are nearer today than we’ve ever been in history’.

So, pick up this short mantra for yourselves, Watch and pray, and fill yourself with real hope.  And pass it along to someone else whose eyes are downcast.

Jesus’ practical advice

January 6, 2024

Maria Anxiety, God's Mercy, God's Promises, God's Provision, Matthew 6, Problems, Promises, Psalm 23, Unbelief, Watchman, Worry , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“So, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34 NLT

If you were to analyze all that you are anxious about this moment, what percentage would be about today’s events or circumstances? Do you think more of your ‘worry bank’ would be directed and spent on hypothetical future problems?

Up until this morning, I’ve always reacted to Jesus’ reality check about ‘enough trouble today’ with a ‘Thanks a lot, Jesus! Just how is that supposed to make me feel better? ‘

But while meditating on Psalm 23:6, the Spirit triggered my memory and I looked up to see just where Jesus had announced this common-sense advice. Matthew 6:34 follows his command that THIS day we focus foremost on the Kingdom of God and its spread. Forestalling our, ‘but what about ….?,’ he assures us that all today’s needs are being met, right now.

A dear friend of mine currently feels buried by fears of the future regarding new work projects. He feels burdened by all the unknowns. He is also very skilled and practiced at imagining the worst. (I’m not sure who would win that competition, he or I!)  So, scouring Scripture this morning, I searched for fresh encouragement for him. It just so happened that this week’s BSF lesson on John 10 has us re-reading Psalm 23 to find descriptions of Jesus as our good shepherd.

I have always loved the first part of verse 6 (NLT): Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life…My mom often talked about the image of God’s ‘Hound of Heaven’, (title of one of Francis Thompson’s 1890 poem) chasing us, almost glued to us as a shadow.

As I applied this truth to myself and the things I often fearfully imagine, I teased out what God’s kindness, mercies and his faithful loving favor toward us imply. In other words, I saw clearly what I and all of us who know God should do each day. Kind of like wearing an ‘If X, then Y’ pair of glasses.

If God’s ‘tob’ and his ‘chesed’ are chasing me today and every day, then:

  • Maybe I should slow down and enjoy them.
  • Certainly, I should be expecting them, and be on the lookout for each one, like a watchman assigned to a tower.
  • That way, I can thank Jesus at the end of the day, mentioning concrete occasions of when I saw his provision.
  • Furthermore, I’ll always have a fresh crop of examples of God’s love to distribute to thirsty people who are desperate for hope.

So, back to my friend; here’s how I hope to encourage him.  Instead of dreading what he imagines he might have to face in these new job possibilities, I will gently counsel him to stay IN today, trusting Jesus’s promise that he will provide. That statement about ‘enough trouble today’ means today’s rescues and mercies have been planned and already remedied, BUT to meet ONLY today’s needs.

As John Piper points out: the root of all our worry is unbelief in God’s promises.

God won’t supernaturally make us count on him and not worry.  But he gives us plenty of practice to trust his character and throw ourselves on his guaranteed vows.

The Nimrod Challenge

December 30, 2023

Maria 1 Corinthians 10, Colossians 3, Coram Deo, Genesis 10, God's pleasure, Pleasing God , , , , Leave a comment

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore, it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” Genesis 10:9 ESV

I’ve never paid much attention to Nimrod.  Apparently, people knew him so well as a famous champion hunter that his name became a proverb. As I started to read on in Genesis, three little words stopped me, ‘Before the Lord’

‘Before the Lord’ is code for God paying attention, God looking at Nimrod.  From what I have read in other passages, that usage of the Hebrew words ‘panim Yahweh’, refers to when God turns his face toward us with favor and love.

Recall Jesus’ words, ‘depart from me, for I never knew you’. Don’t we want to have God look at us with his welcoming eyes?

What could have caused God to want to look at Nimrod the career hunter?  I can only assume, it’s due to HOW and for WHOM this powerful man embraced his calling and prowess. Paul’s words come to mind:

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 ESV

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

I think we can apply Nimrod’s example to us.  That is, by doing what brings us joy in a manner that pleases God. God made Nimrod a hunter. This long-ago man embraced the desire and the talents he received and in doing them for God, he probably helped many others.

Nimrod’s example reminds me of Eric Liddell’s famous line, ‘When I run, I feel God’s pleasure’. With Nimrod and this runner-turned-missionary in mind, I wrote down a few activities that bring ME joy:

  • Speaking and learning languages
  • Making and eating bread
  • Writing
  • Learning people’s stories

God has given me these interests, these desires, these pleasures. And THIS new year, 2024, my number-one goal is to embrace them as did Nimrod his love of hunting. I want to do my joyous activities to please God, to feel his love and approval and to do them by his power, so people will know who he is. 

How am I going to remember that I live ‘coram deo’. You’ve probably heard Martin Luther’s Latin phrase. Here’s a brief description from a Ligonier Ministry article:

This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.

As a daily reminder, I have started wearing my watch on my right hand. It feels strange.  And it is causing me to remember that God is always watching me with the loving eyes of a welcoming Father.

And if you are you still sifting through goals or resolutions or ‘a new word’ for this next year, here’s a suggestion.  How about NOT adding anything to your already busy life, but instead embrace what you really love and are already doing. But do it/them ‘before God’s face’. I wager that soon, this habit will begin to spread even to those things we might not choose to do, but have been ‘assigned’ to do.

Happy ‘hunting’!

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