Praying SMART Prayers

I've been thinking a lot about prayer in this new year.  Like most Christians, I have a desire to pray more, and to pray better.  Prayer is a struggle for a lot of Christians.  We find it difficult to find the time to pray intentionally, and then when we do have the time, we don't know what to pray about or what to pray for.  Prayer is a struggle, but then again that's kind of the point.  Prayer is an act of dependence.

Throughout my study of 1 Samuel 1.1-2.11 and seeing how Hannah "poured out her soul" in prayer, I've been thinking a lot about how I can pray better.  Not that some prayers have more value than others, but I want to be more intentional about my praying, and more intentional about watching God answer my prayers and work in my life according to what I've been praying about.

This made me think about SMART goals.  I first learned about SMART goals in college.  It's a time management and organizational tool that can be used to help you stay focused on tasks and to set realistic expectations for yourself in school, work, business, or really for any part of life.  The word "SMART" is an acronym that stands for "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound."  As I've thought about it, these are also great guides for us in prayer.

1. Pray Specifically.  Too often, I think, I find myself praying about broad, nebulous ideas rather than for specific things.  Perhaps we think that we can just take a shortcut and ask God for the big picture and assume the specific details will all be worked out.  This is certainly true, but I think the more specifically we pray, the more we will be aware of God's work in our lives.  For example, I might pray that God would give me a general spirit of trust, but not that God would help me trust him for something specific.  Or that God would provide for my needs, but I rarely bring to him a specific need.  This year I'm going to try to pray more specifically, for the little things, the details.  That way, when I see God answer my specific prayers, I can glorify him all the more for his provision.

2. Pray for results that are Measurable.  This is not to say that we should put God to the test, such as saying, "Give me this, or else..." but rather that if we are able to measurably observe God's working in our lives, we'll be all the more aware of what he is doing and glorify and praise him better.    This is a big one for me.  Too often I take God's work in my life for granted, or I don't pray specifically enough to even have measurable results to see him working!  The more we pray specifically, the more we can observably see what God is doing and "measure" his activity in our lives in response to our prayers.

3. Pray for things that are Achievable.  This is the fun one, because there is literally nothing that isn't achievable for God.  He is able to do for more than we could ever ask or think.  Too often, though, I get caught up in the realm of the possible and my prayers are limited by my puny, temporal existence.  I need to start praying for things that are achievable, which is anything I can think of.

4. Pray for things that are Relevant.  When I look at the content of many of my prayers, it seems that my focus is mostly in the here and now, the immediate need, or the physical circumstances rather than the spiritual side of things.  For instance, as a pastor, many people ask me to pray for their various physical needs: health, finances, job interviews, etc., and to the best of my ability, I do offer up their needs to God in prayer.  However, I think sometimes we get so caught up in the immediacy of our physical needs that we fail to address the very real and relevant spiritual aspect of our needs.  Although our physical needs are important and relevant to our everyday lives, certainly our spiritual needs are even more relevant.  When I pray for the sick, I want to pray for their healing and simultaneously for their even more relevant provision: that they would lean into God and his provision, care, and comfort, during their time of illness.

5. Pray with a sense of Time in mind.  I believe it is biblically sound and spiritually healthy to ask God to respond to our prayers within a certain window of time, or perhaps stated more bluntly, with a deadline attached.  Not that we are forcing God's hand or demanding that he operate on our time schedule, but as a sign that we are faithfully anticipating his provision.  Indeed, God works according to his will and in his perfect timing - not ours.  But this is similar to praying specifically: if we ask God to respond to a certain request within a certain period of time, we will be more sensitive to his working in our lives, because we can see him answering specifically within the time frame we allotted in prayer.  Again, we should not be surprised or disturbed when God answers our prayers according to his timeframe rather than ours.  Either way, we should glorify God for his provision.  But when appropriate, ask God to answer your prayers with a certain time in mind.  Perhaps you have a more general, less immediate need you're praying about.  Ask God to give it to you in 2019.  Perhaps you have an immediate need.  Ask God to respond this month, this week - today, even.  And when he answers according to what you have requested, glorify him for his faithfulness.

In all of this, I don't intend that we should pray for anything we want.  As Christians, our goal is to pray within the will of God, revealed through his word.  And in doing so, he has promised to give us anything we ask (John 14.13-14).  May we ask effectively, pray well, deepen our dependence, and believe our good and gracious Father who gives good gifts.

You're Gonna Have to Wait for that Penguin

This summer at our church I am privileged to teach an intergenerational Sunday School class called "Lord, Teach Us To Pray."  As you might have guessed, the class focuses on prayer - the Lord's prayer, specifically - and uses it as a model for all prayer.  Today's class examined the "in heaven" portion of the opening of the Lord's prayer, and we talked about how, when we pray, we should acknowledge in our hearts and minds how God is in heaven - that is, he is the Lord of the universe, looking down on all things, observing all things, and doing whatever he pleases.

Like I already said, this is an intergenerational class, which means that all ages are combined (K through adult).  This format makes it possible from the young to learn from the old, and vice versa.  It also affords families the chance to look at the Bible together during the class and talk about the subjects the material presents.  As the teacher, I feel really privileged to be a part of the class.

This year The Mrs. and I thought that our oldest child would be "with it" enough to attend this class, even though he is just entering kindergarten this year.  After all, we thought, even if some of the content was over his head, it would at least be beneficial for him to see other people devoting themselves to the word, and he could get a good sense of the corporate nature of the church.  So we have been having him attend the classes.

This week the lesson talked about how God answers prayer in three ways: either "Yes," "No," or "Wait," and how all of these answers are good and right for us (even if it isn't the answer we want) because God is always good and loving, and always does what is best for us.  At the end of the class I passed out a little diagram of a stoplight that had these three answers on the sheet next to the green light (yes), the yellow light (wait), and the red light (no).  I encouraged the class to think of times when they prayed prayers and received on or more of these answers to their prayer, and to share that with the group.

After church this morning, my son showed me his sheet.  I was blown away by what I saw, partly because it was very cute, but also because it was a very real interaction from a five year old with the ideas regarding the subject of prayer that we have been tackling in Sunday School.  His sheet is pictured at left.  Click to enlarge

A bit of interpreting needs to be done in order to understand the sheet.  The picture at the top of the page is of our now deceased cat, Bartholomew.  Ferg explained to me that he had prayed that Bartholomew would live, but that God's answer to that was "No" since Bartholomew died (and actually, he still prays for Bartholomew on a regular basis, even though he has been gone for about two years now).

The picture at the bottom of the page is of our cat Martha, who is very much alive.  Jamie said that he prays that she will be a healthy cat.  Since she has suffered no significant illness, God's answer to that prayer so far been "Yes."

And then finally, the somewhat indistinguishable picture in the center of the page is of a penguin.  "Why did you draw a penguin in the 'wait' circle, James?" one might ask.  "Because I prayed that God would give me a penguin, and I haven't gotten one yet, so the answer must be 'wait.'"

I don't mean to brag on my son too much, nor would I say that he's especially smart or in tune to the spiritual realm, nor would I say that he is even a Christian, but this just goes to show that kids can apprehend and grasp a lot more than people think.

He Knows How I Feel

I had somewhat of an epiphany this afternoon as I was preparing my comments for this week's communion service.

I grew up in a very loving family.  My parents and sisters and I were very close when I was a kid, and remain so to this day.  In fact, some of the best times I can have are with my family.  I enjoy them, and they (I think) enjoy me.  I thank God for my family.

But while this may have been and is the case, my family has never excelled at communicating their affection for one another.  We were never a hugging family.  That is, there was little to no physical contact between us.  Hugs were very few and far between, and there would never be any kissing - no way.

Moreover, we were never the type to tell one another "I love you," on a frequent basis.  In fact, not really at all.  Now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I told one of my parents that I loved them, nor can I remember the last time they said as much to me.  I think the last time I hugged my parents was at my wedding...almost 10 years ago.

For all intents and purposes, this setup has suited me just fine.  I've always been somewhat of a hands-off kind of guy, and I'm not much for sentimentality just for the sake of it.  And for the most part, this approach to communicating affection in relationships has served me well...until I got married.  Turns out the Mrs. wants to be told "I love you," more often than once every ten years.  Imagine that!

Although my family was, and remains, very reserved when it comes to communicating affection for one another, there has never been any doubt that that affection exists.  Of course we love each other - it just usually manifests itself in sarcasm and friendly ribbing more than it does in hugs.  You could say that we don't need to hug or say "I love you," because the emotions communicated by those displays is just assumed between us.  We all know how we feel about each other.  There doesn't seem to be any need for anything else.

As I prepared for communion this afternoon, and was reflecting on some texts I was looking at, it dawned on me that I sometimes treat my communion with God like I treat my family.  In other words, sometimes I neglect prayer or meditation or self-examination because I assume God knows how I feel about him and about myself.  When I have sinned and feel convicted, I can have the tendency not to address the issue in prayer because, meh, he already knows how I feel.  Why do I need to tell him?  Why do I need to talk to him about it?  He already knows my thoughts before I share them with him; he already knows I feel convicted and want to change.  What's the point of bringing it up and making a big deal over it?

I think it's likely that I sometimes approach my prayer life and self-examination in this way because of the way my family approached intimate issues, which as described above, was virtually non-existent.  I never felt the need to tell my family how I felt about them because, meh, they already know how I feel about them.  Could it be that I sometimes neglect prayer or self-examination because, "Meh, God already knows how I feel"?  I think it is, and I'm surprised it's taken me 32 years to see this connection.

To be sure, this is not a good or positive trend in my spiritual life.  Does God know how I feel?  Of course.  Does this preclude me from communicating my affection for him and coming to him in those times when I am convicted of sin?  Absolutely not.  God tells us to commune with him in prayer.  Why?  So he can get some new information on us he doesn't already have?  No, he already has that information.  Then why pray?  Because it is a sign of dependency on our part, because it demonstrates obedience, and moreover, it serves to cause us to be introspective and look for how God might be moving in our lives.  God doesn't "get" anything out of our prayers.  He doesn't need our prayers, but he wants them.  He has a desire to commune with us in prayer and in his word and in times of meditation and introspection in order to make us more like Jesus.  The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change the one praying.  To neglect these times would be unwise, and even sinful.

Don't get me wrong: I don't blame my parents or sisters or anyone else for my issues with intimacy with God.  But it is a good indicator of how influential our upbringings, experiences, and family dynamics can be when it comes to how we think and feel about God.  I grew up in a very affection-less family scenario, and there are times when my walk with God is rather affection-less too.  It is highly unlikely the too are unrelated.

So does God know how I feel about him?  Yes.  Do I need to tell him I love him?  Do I need to bring my cares and concerns and convictions to him?  No, at least not in the sense that I need to do so in order to make him aware of them.  But in another sense, yes, I do need to bring them to him for the sake of how the process of my bringing those things to him communicates my trust in and obedience to him.

The State Church

If you don't follow religion in politics very closely, you probably haven't heard about Louie Giglio withdrawing his acceptance to pray at President Obama's inauguration.  Obama asked Giglio to pray, and he initially accepted, but when it was discovered that he has preached against homosexuality in the past, a firestorm erupted.  Amid all the craziness, Giglio withdrew his acceptance, citing a desire to not have the prayer turn into a political ordeal.  You can read his letter to the inauguration committee, and some other thoughts he has on the topic, here.

Who is Louie Giglio?  He's come to the public eye in recent years as he's been attached to the wildly popular Passion conferences, and through his work with Chris Tomlin and others.  I've seen him speak before, and his messages, while a bit on theologically light side, are actually very engaging and eye-opening.  You can watch what is probably his most well-known sermon here.  I may not mesh with him on everything he does, and there are definitely some issues he and his ministry need to think through, but overall, Giglio is a great pastor, communicator, and preacher, and would have been a great choice to deliver the prayer at Obama's inauguration.

But to begin with, something like this isn't new.  As many have noted, the same firestorm erupted after Rick Warren offered the prayer at Obama's 2009 inauguration.  Warren stayed in, however, despite the criticism. That being said, it is becoming more and more difficult to practice religion in America these days, especially when that religion doesn't fall in line with the government.  What's the big deal?  Here's one liberal blogger's point of view on the issue.

There's a bit of uncertainty about whether or not Giglio rescinded his acceptance to pray, or whether the inauguration committee uninvited him to play.  The way I see it, it's kind of like six of one, half a dozen of the other.  Basically, Giglio rescinded his acceptance and the committee said, "Good, because we're uninviting you anyway."  Kind of like what you see in the movies when someone tells their boss they quit, but the boss responds by telling them that they can't quite because they're fired.  Either way, this brouhaha has some significant implications that come with it, and it behooves all Christians in America to take note of them.

Russel Moore points out that what we see happening is the development of a state church.  He notes that Giglio is not offering a point of view on homosexuality in the prayer, nor is he saying or even implying that that homosexuals can't or don't have freedoms in the U.S.  In fact, Giglio has never hinted at any of these things in public discourse.  What he has said, though, is that unrepentant homosexuality is not conducive with the Christian faith.  And, of course, the government will bow to the pressure of the loudest voices who cry foul, and in so doing, will endorse the religious views of those who disagree with orthodox Christianity.  It's government sponsored religion.

Albert Mohler similarly points out that we are moving into a time of "moral McCarthyism."  The government used to have a litmus test to detect communism in its ranks.  Now that litmus test exists to detect religious intolerance, and to expel those who would dare to buck the government-endorsed religious ideals.

The message is this: get your religious beliefs in line with government policy or shut up.  Basically, people with religious convictions that don't line up with the government's agenda are silenced and blacklisted.  Moore is right: this leads to a government run church.  In our time, the government is deciding which religious thoughts, ideas, and speech are acceptable.  Where are the usual protesters crying First Amendment foul?  Where are the liberals demanding a separation of church and state?  You won't find them, because they're at their place of worship, offering sacrifices to the government approved religion of tolerance.

How does a Christian respond to a state church?  Much the same way that Jesus and his disciples responded, I imagine.  In those days, however, you had government officials killing people whose religion they didn't like, and then profaning their bodies and places of worship.  Thank God that we haven't come to that in our country.  Our response should be that of the first century Christians: gather together, devote ourselves to the word, pray, and submit.  I don't like that this stuff is happening in my country, and that our religious liberties are being taken away in shockingly large leaps and bounds, but it is what it is.  God is still on the throne; God is still working in the world.  We should be trusting him, no matter what happens.

America, the freedom of religion you once had is gone, and the little bit you have left is quickly eroding away.  Get ready.  Cling to the truth, because dark days are ahead.  But take heart: they are not so dark that the Light cannot shine through.

A Prayer for Election Day

From Joel Beeke:

Our Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Thou art very great. We praise Thee for Thy name is above all blessing and praise. Thou canst do immeasurably above all that we ask or think. Thou hast made the heavens and all their host, the earth and seas and all that fills them, and the angels of heaven do worship Thee.

Thou hast blessed our nation with an abundance of food and wealth. Thou hast revealed Thy law and gospel in Thy Holy Scriptures. Thou hast sent Thy Son to give His life a ransom for many. Thy servants have testified to our people.

Yet, O God, our land is bathed in the blood of innocents. We have taken Thy gifts, and made them our idols. We have hardened our hearts, and listened not to Thy commandments. We have turned Thy holy gospel into a license to sin. We have celebrated that which Thou dost condemn. We are a proud nation, and Thou dost hate pride.

Have mercy, O God, have mercy upon us! Thou dost not change, and therefore Thy people are not consumed. Forgive America for its many sins. Forgive each of us for all our sins. In wrath remember mercy. Thou didst promise that for the sake of ten righteous men Thou wouldst spare wicked Sodom. O God, hear the prayers of those who delight to fear Thy name, and do not give this nation over to a lie.

Thou art the Most High, who doth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever Thou wilt. If the heart of the king is in Thy hand to turn it as Thou pleasest, certainly then Thou rulest over the votes of the people. Direct their votes, we pray Thee, to those that will govern our nation with wisdom and lead us in ways that are right. Grant to us a president, senators, representatives, judges, governors, and other officials who will do us good and not harm. Give us a government under which Thy people, Thy church whom Thou dost love, may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Yet, Sovereign Lord, our deepest prayer is that Thou wouldst do whatever is necessary in the United States so that Thy name be hallowed, Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done, both here and throughout the world, now and in all generations to come. Glorify Thyself in Thy church and in Thy Son now and forevermore. Amen. 

How to Pray on Election Day

On this Election Day Eve, it is indeed profitable to lift up the election process and our nation in prayer.  I have read two great pieces about praying for the upcoming election and our country: one from John Piper at Desiring God, and a piece about how to pray for the election by Albert Mohler.  Above all else (like political involvement), those who call on the name of the Lord should do so at this time, and in the days to come.  And through this process, let us examine ourselves as we examine the state of our nation and those who lead it.

Unfortunately, our system of government has led Americans (including Christians) to believe that we are the masters of our own destiny - we elect whom we want, and if we don't like someone in power, we vote him out of power.  This gives us a sense of control when it comes to government.  We believe that we have the final say.  Also, there are many American Christians that separate their spiritual and political thoughts and opinions.  This ought not to be.  These two realities, however, have predisposed American Christians to, in large part, refrain from deep prayer when considering the political realm.  Again, this ought not to be.  As the two pieces linked above make clear, there is much to be prayed about when considering our country, our leaders, and even our own involvement in the political process.

How should we pray at this time?  Albert Mohler suggests the following.  And it should be noted that these prayer requests are appropriate for all times, not just during election cycles.

1. Pray that God will bless America with leaders who are better than we deserve.

2. Pray that Americans will be motivated to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, yet also that we will be stripped of an unhealthy and idolatrous confidence in the power of government to save us.

3. Pray that Americans will vote by conscience, not merely on the basis of celebrity or emotion.

4. Pray that Americans will vote to defend the least among us - and especially those who have not vote.

5. Pray that God will prick the conscience of the nation on issues of morality, righteousness, and respect for marriage as the central institution of human civilization.

6. Pray that God will protect the candidates and their families.

7. Pray that the election is conducted with honor, civility, respect, and justice.

8. Pray that Americans will be prepared to accept the results of the election with respect and kindness.

9. Pray that this election would lead to even greater opportunities to preach the gospel, and that the freedom of the church will be respected, honored, and protected.

10. Pray for the church - that she would be strengthened in the truth, grounded in the faith, and empowered for witness and ministry.

A (Worshipful) Comedy of Errors

It's been a week since my most recent sermon at Riverview.  Whenever I fill the pulpit I try to write a post about the content of the sermon I preached.  For whatever reason I haven't gotten around to writing that post yet.  Well, I just downloaded the podcast of my sermon from last week, so I thought this would be an opportune time to say a few words.

I need to start off by saying that it's a good thing that God doesn't accept our worship based upon the level of technical perfection it is conducted in, nor does he give demerits for uncontrollable technical glitches.  Thank goodness that Jesus' blood and righteousness are what make our worship acceptable, because if God's standard for acceptable worship were functional microphones and technical perfection, then Riverview Baptist Church would have been up a creek last week!

First of all, it was a crazy service.  There were several technical snafus, not to mention that it was a very full and detail oriented service.  Several things had to go a certain way in order to "work."  To begin with, the Pioneer Girls group was presenting a black light puppet show during the service for the children's story.  This meant that we had to try and black out as much natural light from the sanctuary as possible, which meant quite a bit of work beforehand, plus all of the platform furniture was either moved or removed, and there were plenty of black light decorations all over the stage.

Things went crazy during the service too.  Rich, our multi-media guy, came down right as the service was about to begin and told me the computer had frozen, and it was going to be a solid five minutes before it was back up and running.  This was a bit concerning, considering that a lot of our announcements are fueled by visuals on the screen.  Moreover, we were showing an Operation Christmas Child video during the announcements.  Rich told me I needed to kill some time during the announcements to allow time for the computer to reboot.  I did, but apparently it wasn't enough.  The computer was still hiccuping by the time we were ready to show the video.

After all that, our sound guy, Craig, signaled to me from the sound booth that my microphone wasn't on.  I signaled back that, in fact, it was turned on.  He then signaled back that I had it on "mute mode."  I signaled back again that no, I didn't.  This wouldn't be too much of an issue, had I not been responsible for the corporate prayer that morning, which I was.  This means I had to pray corporately for the church, which is somewhat hard to do without any voice amplification.  During a silent prayer time, Craig snuck down and gave me a new wireless mic, and told me to plug my mic cord into the new receiver.  I couldn't get my cord to plug into the mic!  So, out of desperation, I picked up one of the hand-held mics, which unbeknownst to me, was wrapped around the music stand I was standing in front of.  The mic cord had no slack, and as I drew it to my face, the taut cord pulled the mic from my hand and it bounced loudly off the music stand (did I mention this was during the silent prayer time?).  The foam wind protector on the mic fell off and rolled onto the floor (four feet below the platform).  It turned out that this particular microphone was having problems too, so I ended up just shouting out the corporate prayer for the morning.

After the prayer, I invited the congregation to stand and sing the doxology in preparation for the offering.  As the piano and organ played the introduction to the doxology, out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone ascending the stairs to the platform.  I looked, and was more than surprised to see my three year old daughter coming to greet me on the platform.  She had left her seat, gone and picked up the foam wind protector from the handheld microphone, and brought it to me on the platform.  According to my wife, she was very distressed when I dropped the mic earlier and the foam wind cover fell off, and she felt it was very important to return it to me.  The Mrs. told her to go get it and hand it to me after the prayer.  In the mind of my three year old, this meant to bring it to me on the platform, which she did.  Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see her up there!

After the doxology, and during the offertory, I slipped into the back room (because there was nowhere to sit on the platform.  Craig, the sound guy, was waiting for me, with yet a third wireless mic.  He explained that the cord from my original wireless mic had shorted out, and that's why it wasn't working with any mic he gave me.  But here he was, with a fresh and working mic and cord, which I quickly clipped to my tie.

Then, after coming up with a makeshift children's story to introduce the black light puppet show, the kids came on and did a fantastic job.  Take a look.

After each service, it's traditional for the preaching pastor to meet exiting worshipers at the door for a handshake, which I dutifully did (although I always get out of there as fast as possible - no offense to Riverview folks, but have you ever shook 200 hands in a row?  You tend to want to wash your hands as soon as you can).  This time, one person who was in the service and had heard my sermon simply came up to me and asked me where the book of 2nd Colossians was located in the Bible.  I didn't understand.  That's a strange question to ask.  After all, my sermon was from Colossians 2.

Uh oh.

He said that I had mentioned at the beginning of the sermon that we were "continuing our study of 2nd Colossians."  No.  Not possible, I thought.  I must've said something like, we're "continuing our study of the 2nd chapter of Colossians."  Surely I would never say something as stupid as referring to 2nd Colossians - a book that doesn't even exist.

Although, when I look back on it, it's not too surprising that I would say something like that in a sermon.  Whenever I preach, I tend to get in a zone where all I'm focusing on is the sermon, and what I am saying.  I find that if I don't pretty much know what I'm going to say during a sermon, then it's anybody's guess what is going to come out of my mouth.  Therefore, if you ever hear me preach, you can pretty much know that almost every word I say is prepared before hand.

This zone, however, can tend to tie me down and make me oblivious to what is happening around me, and even to what is coming out of my mouth.  Sometimes I think I can get so concerned about what I am going to say, that I don't realize what I've actually said.  It seemed possible to me  that something like this could have happened here, although I wasn't going to believe it until I heard the recording for myself.

Well, as I said earlier, I just downloaded the podcast.  Here's a transcript of the first 11 words of my sermon from this past week:

"We're continuing on, this morning, in our study of second Colossians..."

Oops.

Oh well.  Like I said: if nothing else, we can rejoice that the acceptable-ness of our worship is not dependent upon us doing it well.  Thank God for that!

Sinful Prayer

I follow Charles Spurgeon on Facebook, which is interesting, considering he's been dead for about 125 years.  Anyway, one of his posts from today caught me: "There is enough sin in the best prayer that was ever prayed to secure its being cast away from God...but God looks upon the prayer as being presented through Christ, and he forgives all of its own inherent faultiness."

Good stuff.

Pray for Yourself First

Every Wednesday (most Wednesdays, at least) I get together with two or three guys from the church just to talk about stuff.  The meetings usually last an hour or so and we talk about pretty much any and everything, although our conversations usually tend toward spiritual things, which makes sense, considering that all things are spiritual things.

Today's meeting was just with me and one other guy, as the other two couldn't make it.  One of our goals is to talk about things we're struggling with, and today my friend shared that he's having a hard time relating to his mom and dad.  He's grown a lot spiritually over the past four years, and some of the conclusions and beliefs he's come to don't necessarily jibe with what his parents believe.  He's tried to talk to them a few times, but most of the conversations haven't gone very well, and he and his parents tend to just avoid spiritual conversations now because they often lead to disagreement.  Needless to say, this has led to some frustration for him, and he's struggling with how to pursue a positive relationship with his parents.

During our Family Night meal at the park tonight, I sat down with him, just to kind of conclude our conversation from earlier.  I asked him how I could specifically pray for him and his relationship with his parents.  (This is something I've been trying to do recently - ask people how I can specifically pray for their needs.  People often just give the big picture of something that is happening in their lives and ask others to pray.  Nothing wrong with that, but I'd like to know some specific details of the situation I can be praying for in particular.)  His answer surprised me and convicted me.  He said that his primary prayer request for this situation was for himself - that he be obedient to the command to honor his father and mother.

Why was this surprising and convicting for me?  Because, instead of asking me to pray that his parents wise up; instead of asking me to pray that he have the "right words" to say to his parents; instead of asking me to pray that God change his parents' hearts; instead of asking me to pray that his parents be open to the truth; instead of asking me to pray for (fill in the blank), he asked me to pray for him and the way he interacts with and thinks about his parents.  This was convicting to me in that, instead of asking for his parents' faults to be dealt with in prayer, he first wanted me to pray for his own tendency toward sin - that his thoughts and motivations toward talking with his parents be pure and above reproach, and that the methods and words he used to talk to his parents were honoring and respectful to them.

And that's the way it should be, but we so often do not consider about our own needs in prayer (at least when it comes to sin).  Rather, we tend to ask God to change or do something in the people we have issues with.  Don't get me wrong: there's definitely nothing wrong with praying for a situation like this, and asking God to open hearts, give people the "right words", etc.  But what we often don't realize is that a lot of times those issues we feel are so important might have something to do with our own heart condition and sinful tendencies.  So we tend to pray like this: "God, change that person's heart; make that person see this or think this way; change that person's behavior."  Instead of praying for other people, maybe we instead need to pray for ourselves: that God would expose any sin in our lives that might be leading to unholiness or confounding the situation; or that God would show us how to be obedient to his word and to give us faith to trust him in this situation.

I've been blessed by the conversations I've had with these guys, and I thank God for the way he uses them to grow me in holiness.  I'll definitely be praying for this guy and his relationship with his parents...and myself too.

A Prayer for Memorial Day

OUR FATHER GOD, as we look back on our nation’s history, we can see that your hand has been upon us and has provided us the blessings of life and liberty. This is no more evident than when we think of those who have given their lives fighting to preserve the freedom that you have given us.

We thank you, O God, that you used the lives of men and women to preserve our freedom – even to the point of death. May we not forget their sacrifice and your goodness.

Thank you, O Lord, for the ones who have died to protect our freedom here. And thank you even more for your kingdom, which can never be threatened by any enemy.

We long for the day of your righteous judgment, when you shall settle disputes among nations, and when swords will be beaten into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks; when nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, and when we will no longer train for war.

Until then, may we honor the memory of the fallen, and may we live in the light of your mercy. AMEN.

Even So, Come Lord Jesus

Pastor Wick and I once joked that the only people on earth who don't want Jesus to come back (aside from people who aren't Christians) are seminarians: we've invested so much into this educational process that we can't fathom not being able to complete it and use it in the ministerial world. While it's obviously tongue in cheek, there's some truth there. Seminary is a lot of work, and sometimes that work entails sitting in your seat, keeping your mouth shut, and putting up with the ridiculous crap you hear from your profs.

(Aside: as I typed that last sentence, the prof for this class just said, "I can't find a biblical model of marriage that I can get excited about.")

Well, I can safely say that I am once again looking forward to the return of Christ. In fact, if he would come back before I have to go to this ridiculous "Self in Community" class again next Thursday, that would be ideal.

So here's a prayer request: Lord, please come back for the sake of your glory (and my sanity), if at all possible, before 8:00 PM next Thursday. Amen.

A Prayer

I have a cousin that is a public school teacher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Like other public employees he will be significantly effected by the outcome of whatever happens in Madison, whether the bill passes or not. He wrote the following prayer. Amen, and amen.

Father, Our state and our country are in conflict. We are torn apart over how the wealth of our state should be used. We are experiencing a growing sense of anxiety because we feel those things we value and believe to be our right are being threatened. At times like this it is easy to embrace fear, anxiety and contempt. We confess that we have focused too much on our positions on the issue; and those news reports that feed our bias and stereotypes. We have looked for evidence that justified our belief that those on the other side of the issues are wrong; and more than wrong they are worthy of contempt, slander and misrepresentation. We have questioned motives and assigned blame and spoken with confidence about things for which we have inadequate information. We confess that this week we have often forgot civility, humility, respect, love and service. We have given voice to our inner fear and embraced worry. We have not sought to understand before being understood. We have exaggerated, mislead and ignored issues important to others.

Father, we admit that we have been angry, afraid, hurt, prideful, selfish and not as honest as we should be. Father, as your children we ask you to heal us. Give us the courage to rise above the fear and the pride. Give us the wisdom of your Son. The Prince of Peace. May we begin every day in your presence through prayer. May we pray over every issue. May you help us to pray for those who, in our heart, we have come to believe are our enemy. People who we have characterized as them, others or stranger. May you give us hearts and eyes to see and believe that they are neighbors, brothers and sisters and children of God.

Father, I confess my greed and trust in wealth and the fear that my wealth will be taken away. Forgive me for bowing down to this idol.

Father, we pray for those who you have called into service of this state. The police and firefighters. The civil servants and public sector employees. These men and woman are our neighbors and our friends. People with families who this week has felt accused, and even attacked. We ask you to bless them, comfort them, and give them courage. We pray you protect their jobs and give them the ability to provide for their families. We are thankful for them remembering that when they do their work of service they serve you as well.

Father, we pray also, for those who serve the children of our state. The teachers, coaches, administrators and support staff. Those who clean and maintain the schools. And all those who make our schools stronger and better. We pray for those who serve our kids when they are in crisis. The social workers and the social service employees. They stand in the gap and serve you by serving the young. This week they have felt unappreciated, blamed and disrespected. We ask that you bless them. Remind them that as they serve they serve you. Let them know that we love them, appreciate them and know they sacrifice in ways very few see. Speak comfort to them as they face cuts in compensation, operation budgets and the possibility of losing their jobs. Please, protect their jobs, provide for their needs and give them the means to provide for their families. Protect their hearts from discouragement, resentment and contempt.

Father, we pray for the leaders of our state. We pray for Gov. Walker and all the men and woman of our legislature. Father, we ask you to give them a spirit of courage and compassion. Give them divine wisdom to lead us through these uncertain times. Give our leaders a spirit of respect and consideration for each other’s ideas, values and priorities. Change the political discourse from one of adversaries trying to win, to servants together trying to heal. Forgive me, for slanderous statements I have said out loud and cherished in my heart towards some of those who are called to lead our state. Forgive me for spending more time criticizing than praying for our leaders as you have commanded. Rise up not the leaders we deserve but the leaders we need. Elevate their hearts and their words. Help them lead us through this season of uncertainty

Father, May you give us all the courage to share the burden of these uncertain and difficult times. May we all adopt a spirit of service and sacrifice. Father, glorify yourself by making peace, bringing healing and causing us to prosper in every way that really matters. We ask this in the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for 2011

The Valley of Vision offers this prayer as a way of looking back to what God has done in the past year, and what he will do in the year to come.

O Love Beyond Compare, thou art good when thou givest, when thou takest away, when the sun shines upon me, and when night gathers over me. Thou hast loved me before the foundation ofthe world, and in love didst redeem my soul. Thou dost love me still, in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, and distrust. Thy goodness has been with me during another year, leading my through a twisting wilderness, in retreat helping me to advance, when beaten back making sure headway.

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead; I hoist sail and draw up anchor, with thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past. I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead. If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation, thou wilt be with me in them. If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation, I shall not drown. If I am to die, I shall see thy face the sooner. If a painful end is to be my lot, grant me grace that my faith fail not. If I am to be cast aside from the service I love, I can make no stipulation. Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial, as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

AMEN.

Don't Waste Your Cancer

Just read this great article again. Here's the text, or follow the link for the article with commentary from others. So important to remember, especially as I think about the "Race for the Cure" that was held today.

Don’t Waste Your Cancer
John Piper
Desiring God

I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

A Prayer For The New Year

A Puritan prayer, entitled "New Year," from the book, "The Valley Of Vision."

O Lord, length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in your presence, in your service, to your glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, and aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from you but may rely on your Spirit to supply every thought, speak in every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every mote of faith, and give me a desire to show forth your praise, testify to your love, and advance your kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year with you, O father, as my harbor, the Son at my helm, and the HOly Spirit filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my lamp burning, my ear open to your call, my heart full of love, my soul free.

GIve me your grace to sanctify, your comforts to cheer, your wisdom to teach, your right hand to guide, your counsel to instruct, your law to judge, and your presence to stabilize.

May your fear be my awe, your triumphs my joy.

Political Prayer

If you're into politics at all, you've probably at least seen or heard some of the DNC. My interest was piqued when I heard that Cameron Strang, editor of Relevant Magazine initially accepted an offer to pray at the DNC, but then backed out because he didn't want to imply that he or his magazine endorsed the democratic party. I find that reasoning to be astounding. Strang didn't realize the incredible offer he'd been given. Pray on a national stage! You wouldn't be able to hold me back. You wouldn't have to endorse the party or what they stand for by praying at their convention. Instead, you could go there to boldly proclaim the gospel and to the wind with any thought of an endorsement. If I were invited to pray at the DNC (which I'm sure will happen next time) I would accept and pray the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Since Strang declined the opportunity to pray, the offer was then given to Donald Miller(by the way, if you follow this link, check out the picture at the top of his blog - it looks more corny than mine, except he's being serious!), idol of 20-something Christians and author of "Blue Like Jazz" (a book that I have a lot of issues with, although it is a fun read). It turns out that Strang's misplaced fear of inadvertently (or probably better put, intentionally) endorsing the democratic party was realized in Donald Miller. Here's a transcription of Miller's prayer, or if you're not into reading, watch the video.

"Father God, this week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future. We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation. We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy. Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left. Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them. Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions. Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle. Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education. Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony. We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help. Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world? A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American. Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world? Help us be an example of humility and strength once again. Lastly, father, unify us. Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common. And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish. God we know that you are good. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans. I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice. Let Him be our example. Amen."

Allow me to point out a few things regarding Miller's prayer:

1) He totally whiffed on presenting the gospel in any shape, form, or fashion which, I think, is a shame. What an amazing audience! The DNC had 40 million television viewers! Not to mention all those who would see the video on YouTube and other places. It was a prime time (literally) opportunity to share the gospel, and it wasn't there.

2) His prayer wasn't much more than a statement of the democratic platform. For example: liberal social programs, universal healthcare, wage increases, funding college tuition, taxing big business, (democratic) unification, etc.

3) Miller expressed the democratic platform as right, true, sound, and the will of God. Now I'm not saying it isn't the will of God (although I'm about thaaaat close to saying it), but it's pretty presumptuous to think that God's on board with the democratic platform. He prayed about those meeting at the DNC and those meeting the following week at the RNC to make the right choice and adopt universal health care (oh if only those crazy republicans would see the light, that God wants us to have universal healthcare!).

4) The last line of Miller's prayer is an absolute travesty: "I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice. Let Him be our example." First of all, if you watch the video, he stresses the word "I," as if this were only his sentiment - as if this was just his opinion, but others could pray to a different God. We don't want to be exclusive. Also, the thought that Jesus "gave his own life against the forces of injustice" is completely unbiblical - you won't find that anywhere in the Bible. Jesus didn't give his life in against the forces of injustice. In fact, he did the exact opposite: he gave it against the forces of justice! He gave it to satisfy God's justice - that one man might bear the wrath of God for all men. Justice is the reason that Jesus died on the cross, not injustice. Don, read your Bible. Please read your Bible.

There are a lot of bloggers out there criticizing people (like me) who are critiquing Miller's prayer, and saying that it's wrong to find error in an individual's heartfelt cry to God. Well let me ask you this: what would the apostle Paul have thought if he heard this prayer in one of the churches he ministered to? He'd take them aside and tell them that the way they saw God was completely skewed. He'd tell them that Jesus didn't die because of the forces of injustice. Theology is important. It's important to know what the Bible says and what it means. Your knowledge of scripture informs your knowledge of God, and your knowledge of God will inform the way you interact with God, in this case, prayer.

In conclusion, I think it's a shame that a noted, popular Christian stood before potentially 40 million viewers and did such a poor job of showing the world who God is, who Jesus is, and who his followers are and what they are about.