God wants us to get to know Him.  Our purpose in life is to love and worship Him. (See Matthew 22:36-38).  Out of the overflow of time we spend with Him – we need to make Him known to others.  He wants His creation to know Him.  In fact, David writes about this is Psalm 19.

 The heavens declare the glory of God;
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
       night after night they display knowledge.

 There is no speech or language
       where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3, NIV).

He reveals Himself to us through His creation.  A part of prayer is taking the time to stop our lives and get to know Him.  This could be a drive into the mountains alone, heading to the beach for some time with God, or to your bedroom with the door closed and in the quiet spend time with Him.  Whatever it takes – take the time to get to know God.

I love how Psalm 19:4-6 reads in The Message,

God makes a huge dome
      for the sun—a superdome!
   The morning sun’s a new husband
      leaping from his honeymoon bed,
   The daybreaking sun an athlete
      racing to the tape. 

 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
      from sunrise to sunset,
   Melting ice, scorching deserts,
      warming hearts to faith.

Two things I heard today.  One at church and one on the phone as soon as I got home.

1. Focus on pleasing God.  You will please those who please God.
2. We were created as human beings – not human doings.

Bottom line: Our mission in life is to know and love God.  To put Him first in all of life.  By doing so we will be pleasing to Him.  As we learn to be in His presence we will be like the sun and shine His love into the lives of those around Him –  “…warming hearts to faith.”

I woke up this morning and asked the Lord to teach me to pray.  I want to really know what it means to pray, why he wants us to pray, and how prayer should be done.  I thoroughly enjoy praying for other people.  At various times, someone will come to my mind and I will pray for them, someone may contact me and ask me to pray for them, and there are those I pray for as I follow on Twitter.  I’ve even had times when people have contacted me and asked me how they could be praying for me.  It’s amazing to see how the Body of Christ works and serves through this simple yet difficult task of prayer.

One thing I know – prayer is not about me or you.  It’s not really about the person being prayed for, the help needed, the “answered” prayer, or the blessing desired.  It is about God, trusting Him, aligning our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and will with His.  Prayer is the emptying of oneself and the filling up, internally, with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is an incredible tool. Jesus’ followers recognized it in his life and asked him to teach them to pray.  Luke 11:1  Jesus understood prayer to be the direct line to his Father.  Even when it came down to those final moments in his life on earth.  Jesus knew what he was going to face.  So, he got alone with a couple of his disciples and prayed. Matthew 26:36-42

I like the way Eugene Peterson interprets this passage from Matthew in The Message.  Jesus, “plunged into an agonizing sorrow” (verse 37).  And in verse 38, Jesus says, “This sorrow is crushing my life out…”

Too often I go to God with my back against the wall or I’m way stressed out with a situation. I beg and plead for Him to do what I want or “feel” like I need.  I ask Him for what I think I know will bring about the best ending.  Basically, the picture here is a one of a spoiled little kid at Wal-Mart begging for a toy.  

We can see from the life of Jesus that he went to his Father out of a close relationship… a mature one.  Ultimately, this act of prayer wasn’t self-centered. He had one thing in mind – doing the will of His Father. He knew by doing His will you and I would have salvation – God’s plan.

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is anyway, get me out of this.  But please, not what I want.  You, do what You want. (Matthew 26:39, The Message).

Jesus’ prayer, “Not what I want. You, do what You want.”  – total reliance, trust, and confidence in his Father.  I want to live this way.  I want my life to be as such that it helps others desire the same thing.  I want to be able to respond to the Father the way Jesus does in verse 42.

He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”

Are you ready to let Him do it His way?  I want to live life and pray His way.  There is no better way to live than to live life the way God intended for our lives to be lived.

I will be posting my thoughts on prayer as I follow a 21 Day Prayer Guide from Genesis Church in Orlando.

In my previous post “Take My World Apart,” I referred to my friend  exhibiting the following qualities: “confidence, love, passion, and abandonment to God for the people he has been called to serve.”  I mentioned having been in a place where I have experienced this before.  In order to get there, I recall having had to take some great risks and he is no different.

During church on Sunday I began to journal about the importance of taking risks when Brian Bloye said,

The greatest risk is not to risk at all.

As I have gone throughout this day, I kept having this thought that great risks will have to be taken once again in order to be where I really want to be.  I try each day with all that I do to seek Jesus and his teachings in my decisions.  Presently, I am camping out in the Gospels to continue getting to know him more.  I still hold fast to this passage found in Hebrews,

Keep (my) eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.  Study how he did it.  Because he never lost sight of where he was headed- that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever.  And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.  When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through.  That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message).

I can’t tell you how many times I have walked out of West Ridge Church in the past 9 months and have been incredibly challenged!  This week was no different.  The message series is called, “One Month to Live”.  The following video challenged me… I hope it will you too.

What do you do when your dreams aren’t turning out the way you expected?  Do you give up? Do you ignore your dream(s)? Do you continue waiting like the Israelites did whining and complaining? Or maybe you are like me and go through seasons of depression, times of complaining, moments of bitterness, and times of intense growth in Scripture and prayer.  I’ve experienced all of it.  I wish I could say I have been more spiritual than the rest of my list.

Maybe you are a lot like me and you have experienced the highs and lows of waiting.  The one thing I am so glad I can say is that I haven’t given up.  I haven’t quit pressing on and looking to God for strength and wisdom. Despite my resolve to finish this race strong, I have gone through moments of whining and complaining the past several years.  I told one friend recently that it is time for a change… just to hear him say, “That’s what your baby will be crying for after she is born. (Due in September).

Waiting is an interesting activity.  There are times of waiting and being still before the Lord.  And at the other extreme there are those times where it is necessary to break down some walls and get busy… put your hands to the plow and work.  During this season of waiting I’ve done a little of both.  But each time I begin to get busy I keep hearing this voice say, “This isn’t it.”  I heard those all familiar words at the first of this year. It was once again very frustrating for me.  What did I do?  I obeyed what I believed the Holy Spirit was telling me to do.  I totally backed off and stopped volunteering what I was doing at a particular church.

I haven’t arrived at where I desire and believe I will be one day…  I have a lot of hopes and dreams…  But I do believe I am exactly where I am supposed to be.  I’m taking in everything I can as I continue to wait and seek the Lord. 

The following message by Brian Bloye, “When Life Makes You Wait.”  Has been one of those moments where God has affirmed His presence in my life.  This message really inspired me.  I hope it will you too.

There is a calling that comes from the Father. Each person is called and those who choose to follow Jesus have a mission to accomplish with the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Obedience to Jesus – his call is all that matters… Not what others may say.

In the later chapters of Acts Paul is repeatedly told by other Christians not to go to Jerusalem. Paul’s response,

“What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.” (Acts 20:24, The Message).

What is it you are destined to finish in Jesus Name? Work at it with all your heart. Give God your best effort – the Holy Spirit will empower you and others will hear His message.

Has something or someone hindered your efforts? Has that circumstance told you, “You can’t do that.”? Give to Jesus whatever or whomever has stepped into your life to disqualify you.

Make these words of Paul your words, “What matters most to me is to finish what God started…”

Does your life have what Oswald Chambers calls, “sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is satisfying to Jesus.”?

How does someone’s life bring about that kind of pleasure to Jesus? Chambers would say it is found in, “…continual willingness to “go out” in dependence upon God…”

I’m reading about that kind of faith lived out in the lives if so many found in the book of Genesis. Abraham and Sarah’s lives were a continual “‘go out’ in dependence on God.” I believe there are many people living today with broken dreams because they have chosen not to “go out.”

What keeps us from living in the potential of what God created us for? Why is it that some seem to serve the Lord with reckless abandon? While others shrink back in fear.

Fear is a gripping emotion that takes us into “watch out for myself” thinking. How often do we read in Scripture about someone being spoken to by an angel of the Lord and hear, “Do not be afraid…” Once we lock ourselves in on fear we will not hear anything else. We will not move… we will not walk in faith.

On New Years Eve I was playing a game with my son. He was sitting on the sofa and said, “Daddy when I grow up I want to be just like you.” I’ve thought about those words a lot since then. I’ve thought about our relationship and my desire for him to grow up knowing, loving, and serving Jesus.

I’ve realized these past couple of days that my desire for him is much like the desire Jesus has for me. To live and walk by faith… To “‘go out’ in dependence on God.”

Today as I look to my Heavenly Father I echo the words of my son to Him, “Daddy when I grow up I want to be just like You.”

I’ve started teaching my daughter to drive. It’s been a great experience and I have cherished every moment with her behind the wheel. I can tell with each day she sits down in the drivers seat she is gaining more confidence.

In Andy Stanley’s message, “Pray until the peace comes,” he asks, “What drives your prayers?” I answered, “Fear and worry.”

As my daughter got behind the wheel for the first time I know she was afraid. I’m not sure what she was most afraid of (the car, messing up, or how I might react to her messing up). Over several days she has gotten better with more and more confidence.

As I’ve observed and coached my daughter, I’ve thought about my own fears and how often I don’t allow God to coach and train me through my fears. I am not like my daughter learning to drive as I tend to grip the steering wheel of life too tightly, step on the gas too hard, and when it comes to braking – I haven’t quite managed how to delicately apply them. I’m getting concerned that maybe I’m frustrating God with my inability to overcome my fears.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and want be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who ‘worry their prayers’ are like wind-whipped waves.” (James 1:5-7, The Message).

“…get serious, really serious. Get down on you knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet,” (James 4:8b-9, The Message).

2009 has been a great year for me. It has also been a very difficult one. I know a week ago God began leading me to focus on prayer for the remainder of this year. A much different kind of prayer.

“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16b, The Message).

The title of the talk I heard Andy Stanley give, “Pray until the peace comes” has become my personal theme for the rest of this year. I must let God in on what my deepest fears and desires are.

The words of Paul sum it up,

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers. Letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message).

I’m praying until the peace comes.

Day after day I pray, “God help me with this, give me this opportunity, help me do that.” My struggle is that I can’t seem to get past this prayer. Today’s My Utmost for His Highest shows me that I’m afraid of what Oswald Chambers calls becoming “frost bitten.”

My desire MUST be to please Jesus no matter what it costs or how frost bitten I may become. As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I should desire nothing less and nothing more than Jesus – his love.

This love from Jesus compels me to live within the realm of his purpose for life. “I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him… He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. (My Utmost for His Highest, November 10).

I MUST trust and walk by faith.

…depended on me?

On October 25, I will be sitting down with the students of Tapestry Church. The goal of our conversation will be to begin the dialogue of what the mission of this ministry is all about. As I’ve prayed and listened the following questions came to mind:

1. What if the world depended on ME to hear the Gospel?
2. How did the first disciples feel when Jesus ascended into heaven and were left with the task to spread the Good News?
3. What if the Tapestry Student ministry were the only one in town – what would we do to reach this generation?

Go back to my first question. How do you answer it?

Luke 24:45-49 in The Message reads:

45-49He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”

Have you waited… Has the power of the wind passed you by… Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?

We have been chosen to be God’s instruments to show the way to a complete life… A life in Jesus Christ.

Can the world look to you?

I discovered last night as I wrote a portion of my story out for a brother of mine (God has blessed me with in recent weeks) that my story is really no different than his. He sent me a reply sharing a chapter of his with me. The cool thing about our stories is that there is one key character in both.

I discovered just like my friend that our lives have been written with an end in mind. Without this central figure in our lives our story would lack meaning, hope, and victory.

One of the greatest honors in life is to be able to share my story with someone else. I was given that opportunity today. I’m not talking about sharing the laundry list of my problems or the particulars of my failures. But rather the part where I found hope to live another day. My story is one of brokenness that has been changed by grace and love.

The story I have to tell is not really mine… It’s really the story of Jesus that has been written out in the pages of my own life. Jesus – he is the writer and now I’m a charcter in his play. He is the one who has the power to make all things new… To make me a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Who is the main character in your story? Is it you? Is it your hurt, brokenness, and despair? Or is it Jesus?

If the main character is anything but Jesus, I ask you to take a moment and begin reading in the Bible. Read Matthew and ask Jesus to show himself to you.

He loves you and deeply cares about how your story ends.