I Can't but God Can

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:12 (NLT)

I found out a week or so ago that a dear friend of mine has been really sick. He’s been struggling with the results of two strokes for a year and a half. I knew he had the strokes but I didn’t realize he was still having such difficulty. My heart hurt for him.

I called, we talked on the phone and afterward I decided to really lean into praying for him. I am more and more convinced that prayer is the key to so many things. And I recently have become more convinced that while praying for things and plans and troubles are fine, praying for people is what God really wants us to do.

So I started. Every time I thought about him I prayed. I spent time in prayer for him each morning and also in the evening. One night, I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought about him. I started praying. And I heard “Fast.” And that is where I hit a road block.

You see, I have never been able to fast from food. I have fasted from lots of other stuff like TV and social media. I’ve eliminated types of food, like sugar, but I’ve never been able to do a complete food fast. I’ve tried. When I try I get horrible migraines and become very .sick. It shuts me down.

When I heard God say “Fast” I said, “We can talk about it in the morning. You know my body can’t do that.” I went back to sleep thinking tomorrow he’d realize I can’t do this. (So funny how we try to put God in a box.)

The next morning, I asked God about it. He said “Try.” Now I want to make something clear. I knew this was God. How? Because I would never, ever on my own think that I should fast at 3 a.m. out of the blue. Heck, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. I would never think I should fast. My experiences have been super negative.

So I said “OK. I will try tomorrow. Tomorrow would be Saturday. It was going to be a busy day.

The next morning I woke up and as I headed downstairs I could smell the coffee. It was super inviting. I went into the kitchen looking forward to getting a cup and then I remembered. I was fasting today. I stood there and debated in my heart whether I was going to listen to what I knew God said or not. I didn’t want to. I knew I was going to end up really sick. Maybe I could fast tomorrow? Then I remembered my friend and God’s invitation. I decided to try.

What happened next I believe was a miracle. I fasted for 24 hours without food. I did drink water, black coffee and herbal tea (unsweetened). No food. No migraine. No nausea. A couple times I got a tiny headache which I prayed through. I spent a lot of time praying for my friend.

I don’t know if God is going to heal my friend. I am still praying he will. But here is what I do know. Something changed in me. First, I saw his power at work. He spoke to me, encouraged me and delivered on what he said. And He controlled my body. The awe I felt and the marvel at how Great God is, I can’t adequately express.

Why am I sharing this story? Because I want to encourage you to step out in faith and do what God is asking you to do. We need to “try” it when he tells us to do things we think we can’t do. We need to trust him. I believe God speaks to each and every one of us. We don’t hear him because we think he doesn’t and when we do hear him we doubt ourselves (and him). It’s that putting him in a box thing.

God does not fit in any box. What if seeing miracles requires us to step out of our comfort zone? How many of us will miss them? Following God’s leading is a life changing experience. I want to spend my life in awe. Don’t you? How is God asking you to step out in faith today? What are you going to do about it?

You

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,
    for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
    You planned them long ago,
    and now you have accomplished them. Isaiah 25:1 (NLT)

Father God —
You are to be adored. Why?
Because You are mighty.
More captivating than a lion’s roar.

Father God —
I stand in awe
I want to see Your power
I want to feel Your strength
Yet, I want to know that I am safe.

Father God —
In You is more might
than all the world’s armies
In You is more force
than a massive explosion

But also in You is gentleness
patience and compassion
Your purpose is always
to teach us how to love You
Your intent has always been
for our good…for our salvation

You, Father God, are bigger
than I can get my arms around.
You are more than I can fathom

Honestly, You can be a little scary
but You are always a safe place.
You are always good.

I lift my arms in praise
while at the same time I bow low
before You.

Father God —
Take this child
I am not sure what to do with You
Hold me tight while You set me free.
Free, to be what I want to be
Wholly Yours

Dear Jesus

Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Jeremiah 10:6 (NLT)

Dear Jesus. Those words have the most comforting sound. When I was away last week, things were really hectic. It was a good kind of hectic. Lots of family. There was always something going on. Always someone to talk to. Listening and trying to be present in the middle of little children running everywhere. Constant motion. 

In the back of my mind were the things that I wanted to think about and pray about. That little tickle that reminds you that even when you are on vacation, things need to be dealt with. You can’t ignore them...but here I was too busy to address them. My regular quiet time with God was interrupted by little ones yelling my name.

And then there were the people that I wanted to pray for. The problems you hear about that you know only can be addressed through prayer. The questions to God asking how He wants you to be involved…if He wants you to be involved at all. The heart stories that made you know there was no way you could heal that hurt and you could only pray. The folks who need jobs, healing, answers. Even though I knew I needed to pray more, I couldn’t seem to get enough quiet time to do it as much as I wanted (needed).

As I climbed into the car to head home, the grand kids sleeping in the back seat and my daughter sleeping in the front, I whispered the words “Dear Jesus.” Those were all I could get out. So many thoughts crowding my mind. So many concerns on my heart. It was overwhelming. All I could say was Dear Jesus.

And then there was peace. I didn’t have to utter a ton of words. I didn’t have to come up with fancy requests. I just had to call out His name and I knew He heard me. I knew He was there.

I am sure I will get back into my normal quiet time routine now that I am home. But it sure is good to know that His presence isn’t dependent on my performance. All I need to do is whisper His name.

Praying with Heart

So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to God’s Temple in the customary seat. Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow:

Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain,
If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me
By giving me a son,
I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.
I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline. 1 Samuel 1:9-12 (MSG)

Hannah wanted desperately to have a child. Up to this point, she had not been able to get pregnant. Her heart was broken. Her soul was crushed. As she prayed to God, the God-of the Angel-Armies, the Lord in charge of everything, she went all in. She made a covenant with God. If he would give her a son, she would turn around and give the child back to God.

Wait. What? She pleaded for what she wanted but also was willing to let it go. She was willing to receive the gift and then release it back to God…for his purposes.

Made me wonder….do I pray like that? Do I pray with a heart that asks God for what I want not for my benefit but for his? Am I willing to receive the gifts God gives me, the answers to prayer that he provides and then turn around and give them back? Am I willing to use them for his purpose, for his glory?

And then I had to ask myself, what would happen if I did? How would I be changed if I was like Hannah and I trusted God so much with my desires that I was willing to surrender them to Him?

Father God, I know my heart is not in that place. I am asking you to help me get there. Teach me, Lord, to surrender my desires to you; to do with what you will. Like Hannah, give me the joy she had when she surrendered her gift back into your very capable hands. In Jesus Name, Amen

Who Should We Talk About?

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7 (NLT)

I don’t know about you but lately, I’ve been waking up a lot in the middle of the night. I don’t normally do this but in the last few weeks it seems to be a thing. For a while, I was praying and asking God to help me go back to sleep. And ask each moment went by, I got more and more frustrated.

Mostly, I woke up the next day tired and annoyed.

But then I started thinking “OK, if I am going to be awake, what do you want to talk about?” This turned into “Who do you want to talk about?” I would wake up, lay there for a minute and ask God who he wanted to talk about and names would pop into my head. I spent these moments (sometimes longer) praying for someone.

Honestly, I find this totally amazing. The names that pop into my head are random. Sometimes they are people I know and am in relationship with. Sometimes, I know what to pray about. Sometimes, they are people I haven’t seen in many years and I have no clue. But I pray anyway.

I’ve also had people tell me that God has placed me on their heart. I absolutely love this. I love that God is prompting me to pray for people and prompting people to pray for me. I love that God wants to talk to us about each other so we can wield the strongest weapon we have at our disposal. Prayer.

Do you want to know what else I find amazing in all this? After I pray for them, I go back to sleep, perfectly at peace.

God is alive and well, taking care of his kids. If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, ask God who he wants to talk about? And then do it! It’s probably the only time you should engage in talking about people!

Where Is Your Tent of Meeting?

7 It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. 9 As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. 11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting. Exodus 33:7-11 (NLT)

It was Moses’ practice. When the Israelites set up camp, Moses would set up the Tent of Meeting. Whenever they moved (which was a lot), the Tent of Meeting would get set up outside the camp. And he would go talk to God there.

Moses was one busy guy. He was leading hundreds of thousands of people. He was responsible for them and everything that entailed. Not to mention that well, people are people and they can be challenging at times. I began to wonder about the journey Moses was on. Day in and day out. What an overwhelming job he had. Too much to do, not enough time. More than a human could possibly handle.

But Moses was not in it alone. God was in it with him and Moses throughout his journey spent alone time with God. He met him at the Tent of Meeting regularly to talk. He would disappear inside the tent and spend time lingering and listening and sharing. It was there he would get his inspiration. It was there God would share his wisdom and peace. It was in this place with God that Moses would once again be filled with the courage to continue.

Where is your Tent of Meeting? Do you have one? If you don’t, you should get one. We all need one-on-one time with God. You can’t accomplish your purpose without it.

Listening In The Middle Of The Noise

15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Galatians 1:15-17 (NIV)

This week, this passage really spoke to me. I have a big decision to make. Huge. And I know, the only One I need to hear from is God.

So often, we have decisions to make in our lives. Some are big, some are small. My human tendency is to go ask my family and friends. Sure, I pray about them but it’s not the same as what Paul is saying here. He is saying that instead of going to share what God was telling him, he went the opposite direction. He went to be alone with God.

God speaks to us all the time but I think especially when it’s quiet and we are alone with him. We need to be intentional about calming the noise that distracts our hearing and focus on what God could be telling us. Maybe part of this is getting into the habit if blocking out the distractions ourselves so that we are always praying in the midst of the chaos and tuning our ears to the still small voice.

I believe this is a discipline that we, as Christians, in this very chaotic, noisy world need to develop. While we are in the middle of a conversation with someone, pray about what God wants us to say. When the calendar is full and there doesn’t seem to be time to breathe, pray about God’s plan for our day. When crazy hits the fan and you need wisdom, pray.

But as you are praying, listen. Don’t just send the prayer up and proceed on your own. Turn your hearing toward the voice that is speaking to it. Focus on what you know to be true and Christ driven in your thoughts.

We need to stop thinking Jesus isn’t talking to us. We need to stop thinking we can’t hear him. If God can speak through death to call Christ to life, he can get through to our dulled brains. By the way, once you hear, you have to obey. Maybe that’s why we don’t really want to listen….because we don’t really want to do what God is saying in the first place. Just a thought…..

A Minute In It - Prayer

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’

10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. 11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer. Nehemiah 1:4-11 (NLT)

Nehemiah received bad news from his homeland. What was the first thing he did?
After mourning, then what?
As you read this prayer of Nehemiah, what are the components to his prayers?

First he praised God and worshiped who he was.
Then he confessed his sin and the sin of the people.
Next he remembered God’s promises.
Then he asked God for what he wanted and he was pretty specific.

There isn’t a right way to pray but I love that Nehemiah’s prayer focused on God. It was about who God was, what he said he wanted in his people, what he promised he would do and then Nehemiah asked him for something seemingly impossible believing he could do it.

When we come to God, are our prayers more about him or us?