Tag: Prayer

How You Pray Will Determine Your Praise (Psalm 28)

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PSALM 28

1 [A Psalm] of David. To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You [are] silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. 3 Do not take me away with the wicked And with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil [is] in their hearts. 4 Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavors; Give them according to the work of their hands; Render to them what they deserve. 5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, Nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up. 6 Blessed [be] the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! 7 The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 8 The LORD [is] their strength, And He [is] the saving refuge of His anointed. 9 Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

PSALM 28:1-9, NKJV

How You Pray Will Determine Your Praise

David comes back to thank the Lord because he know that God had heard his prayer.  HOW OFTEN DO WE COME BACK IN THANKSGIVING FOR ANSWERED PRAYER?  We are good about coming to God with our AGITATIONS but what about our ADORATION. HOW YOU PRAY WILL DETERMINE HOW YOU PRAISE.  

In Luke 17:11-19 10 Lepers are cleansed, but only one came back to worship at the feet of Jesus. I’m sure the others were grateful to some varying degree, but the one who came back was fully bought in to Jesus. Too often we don’t mind pestering God with a wish list of our wants when part of our job in prayer is to recognize that God has moved in the past. He has heard and He has answered prayers before and we should be grateful. Those who only come to God tired and numb in the middle of an emergency are missing the fullness of His Grace. In a large way their relationship has become transactional instead of relational. Like a homeowner coming to the contractor with a bunch of job orders and requests, we have lost sight of the grace of God that has brought us this far in the first place.

A good practical place to practice gratitude is to journal (prayers) and to go back and then see how God answered them. I admittedly am not that great at it. But it does wonders to help me remember everything that was going on at a certain point in my life.

Finding yourself low on praise? Start thinking about all the ways the Lord has blessed you over the years. Think about the prayers you have prayed. How has he answered. How have those times been good or bad. How is God’s grace evident in your life today?

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your great grace. I see every day your kindness to me and have experienced an abundance of your blessings. There were many times where I go t myself in a jam and you were faithful to see me through. There were times when I was lured away and enticed by sin and you called me back to faith and repentance. There were parts of my life that have been hard, but you have always been present. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Help me to be intentional about turning back my prayers into praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

He Hears The Prayers of Troubled Hearts (Psalm 6)

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PSALM 6

1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I [am] weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD–how long? 4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! 5 For in death [there is] no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back [and] be ashamed suddenly.

PSALM 6:1-10

HE HEARS THE PRAYERS OF TROUBLED HEARTS

Grief is never an easy thing. It turns us into a mess. Our world is suddenly disordered as we try and make sense of the chaos that has entered our lives. It comes at us irrationally. It invades our thoughts with terrible anxieties and causes us pain in places we didn’t know that we could hurt. What must God think of our grief stricken prayers? We know they aren’t very eloquent, we don’t have time or sense for how our words should form sentences that are pleasing to the ear. We just hurt, so we weep and we wail. We know that the theology of our words is probably off center. We want to understand God aright, but all we can see of his beautiful world is the brokenness this side of eternity and so it is with teary eyes we look up to see a blurry vision of who He is?

Does He think we are pathetic? Does he refuse such supplications based on their lack of clarity? Does he tell us to dry up our faces and come back and try it again?

To be honest, sometimes in our grief, He seems silent. A little voice creeps in and whispers, “He doesn’t care about you!” Sometimes it says, “He has abandoned you.” Some times it tells us that we must have brought this all on ourselves, we are to blame for the trouble we see today and if that is the case, why would he ever care to listen to our prayers anyway?

David sees past all these voices that call out to him from the dark night of his grief and trouble. He prays with tears, but also with confidence that God hears his prayers. What a great encouragement it is to know that when we come to God, in the midst of our grief, that He has a way of still hearing our prayers.

PRAYER

Father, thank you that in the midst of our grief and anxieties that you hear our prayers. Thank you that in the moments where I feel near and in the moments that I feel far away that you are present. Give me grace to trust you further than what I can see. Give me grace for the good days when everything is going well and it looks like victory is around the corner. Give me grace for the bad days and sad days when I feel alone and rejected. More than what I feel, I need you to hear my prayers. Thank you the confidence that you do. Thank you for your word that reminds us of who you are on days we are prone to forget. In Jesus Christ, Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

Start Looking For God’s Will Early In The Morning (Psalm 5)

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PSALM 5

1 To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct [it] to You, And I will look up. 4 For You [are] not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. 9 For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part [is] destruction; Their throat [is] an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10 Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You. 11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as [with] a shield.

PSALM 5:1-12

START LOOKING FOR GOD’S WILL EARLY IN THE MORNING

In one of my jobs I was tasked with assembling a large desk for our office. I unloaded the boxes got all the pieces sorted and made sure we had the tools we needed to start. Then I laid the plans aside and started to put the desk together. It wasn’t until about midway through that I realized we were in trouble. I thought we were going by the plans, but I was just eye balling the pieces and putting them together, I wasn’t checking for the important letters and numbers listed on each piece. Somehow I had placed piece J where G should be and to further complicate it I had H on backwards… We had to undo most of our work to go back and set it up right.

I reckon some of us try and go through life like that. We get all the pieces together and try to figure it out. We know enough about God’s word to assume we’re ok. But to say that we were looking for God’s will for our lives in any given situation might be a stretch.

David says here that he isn’t taking anything for granted. He is seeking the Lord in the morning. He is seeking after God’s will. He doesn’t want to make a mess of things and then go back and have to figure out how to straighten it out. He wants to follow the Lord’s will from the get go. There is too much at stake to not seek after God.

“I’ve got so much work to do today that I must spend at least three hours in prayer.”

Attributed to Martin Luther

What a great sentiment and it rings truer than we’d like to admit sometimes. Our days start off better if we are grounded in God’s word and Prayer. I learned the hard way that the instructions are there for a reason and there is an order to things. We should look to the instructions first and then construct the desk. Yet so often we attempt to live our life eyeballing the pieces thinking we don’t have time to pray and seek the Lord’s will and guidance. The truth is that when we are busiest we need to seek the Lord the most.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for a full schedule. It is a blessing to have so much to do. I bring my schedule to you today and ask you Lord for your hand of guidance on my life. You know what is most important here. You know the details of this day before it has even happened. So I ask that you would guide my steps. Keep me from temptation, use me for your kingdom and your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

God is Still on the Throne (Revelation 10-12)

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Revelation 10:5-7 ESV And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven (6) and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, (7) but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

There is a lot of symbolism in these chapters. You can look back at last years post to see how I understand some of the images that are described in this section of scripture. It’s important that we don’t miss the forest for the trees in the descriptions in the book of Revelation. God is sovereign over His creation! The point of the book of Revelation is to note that He is Almighty Sovereign God and He reigns over everything. There is nothing that take Him by surprise. Events unfold at his prerogative and at their appointed times.

This is important because there will be moments where it looks like He is losing. His faithful servants will be persecuted. There is an evil enemy that seeks to devour them. Yet, even when it looks like the faithful are perishing, God is in control…. As we round the corner going into the Passion week before Easter, we are reminded that it must have looked like evil was winning when Jesus was crucified, yet it was through His death and resurrection that we are saved!

My big takeaway from todays reading is to remember that all of history is headed to a particular destination and will reach that destination at the exact right time. I’m reminded that God is in control. Somehow as I fret with small things that cause us stress (family, bills, work, etc.), I am comforted to place these things in the hands of the Lord and pray for His kingdom to come. There is great personal peace to be found by seeking first the kingdom of God.

Father, thank you for these chapters in the book of Revelation today that reminds me that you are in control. I admit I am often consumed with the minor details of life that I can’t control. How refreshing it is to know that you are in control of all things. I pray for your kingdom to come and your will to be done. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

2020 Post on Revelation 10-12

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Judgement Day is Coming (Matthew 11-12)

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I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak

MATTHEW 12:36

I remember the first semester of my freshman year of high school. Most of the school work came easily to me and just like 8th grade, I assumed I’d make really good grades with little effort. I had signed up for Spanish class that summer to go a head and get it out of the way. I made the mistake of believing I’d pick up on things naturally like I did in the other classes and so I spent alot of time goofing off with my friends in the class. When the first test rolled around I knew I was in trouble. My brain didn’t learn foreign languages the same way I was able to learn in other classes. I knew then I had to buckle down and study harder. I also thought that there was plenty of time to catch up and so I went on cutting up in class. I really didn’t learn anything that semester other than a few curse words in Spanish that I had looked up in the Spanish-English dictionary.

It really shouldn’t have surprised me when my teacher told me I had failed the class. Yet, somehow it did. I had the delusion that it would all somehow get better. I told myself that I’d have time to buckle down and learn. I thought I could fix it. Before I knew it, report cards were out and I started my high school transcript with a big fat F.

The current that runs just beneath the surface through these two chapters is that there is a day of judgement coming. There will be a day of reckoning. It will be here quicker than anyone can imagine. Jesus declares that previous generations known for their wickedness, will judge those of his day. They would have repented of their sins if they had the witness of Christ Himself. Yet these cities hardened their hearts against God. You can’t read these chapters without seeing the urgency that judgement day is coming and will be here before you know it.

I’ve often wondered what Jesus will say about my generation on the day of judgement. We seem to have no lack of bible study tools and resources. We have so much available to us. Yet we often try and reduce God’s Word to trivial little cliche’s and rob it of it’s power.

I was convicted by Matthew 12:36 today. We live in a world of careless words. It can be too easy to get caught up in the fray and think it’s no big deal. Don’t be decieved, judement day is coming and what you say now will judge you then. It’s not too late to repent and turn to Christ for Salvation.

Father, I am sobered by your words in Matthew 11-12 today. There were many who didn’t recieve your witness, many who will stand on the day of judgement and be condemned by their idle word. Guard our hearts from taking anything trivial that is urgent. Help us to be bold in proclaiming the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and around the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Your Kingdom Come (Matthew 5-7)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Our country seems to be in a little bit of turmoil. I know many are facing anxiety over thier finances, health, civil unrest, politics, and more. These things are all loud and urgent. It can be easy to get distracted. There are so many things going on at the same time that it can be really difficult to focus even on the task at hand.

Jesus reminds us that we are to build our house on the rock (Mattew 7:24) so that when times like these come we will stand. We are to build our lives on the very word of God. You’re doing that today and every day that you go to God’s word and seek to understand and apply it to your life. A gospel believing, bible teaching church and pastor can be helpful with all of that.

We’re reminded in this passage that we often fret and worry about all sorts of things like food and clothing, but Jesus promises us that all that stuff will be added to us when we seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Somehow it seems that we are all prone to get it backwards. We think we’ll go worry about the kingdom of God once we’ve got all the other stuff figured out. Jesus reminds us that it doesn’t work that way. It’s only when we put His kingdom first that everything falls into place.

Our utmost allegiance, indeed our prayer is to be centered on the coming of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:10). I look forward to that day! I am excited with anticipation about what it will be like when the Lord returns for all of his people. I also aknowledge on days like today that I’m easily distracted and so I pray the Lord’s prayer with intention to remind me of where my true allegiances are.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Day 47: 1 Corinthians 1-3 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

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Today’s reading comes from 1 Corinthians 1-3 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Is Christ divided (1:13a)? Why are His people so often divided? Sometimes we have following the ways of a man rather than following Christ (1:12)! We have made an idol out of the wisdom of men instead of the power of God (2:5). Paul warns the church in Corinth and he warns us today… don’t be divided (1:10)!

I have to catch myself. Sometimes it can be tempting to think that if we just develop the right strategy, more people will come to faith in Christ. We can chase program after program looking for the right one. I think that if I can just make myself more appealing it will bring a better harvest. The thing we really need the most, is not a polished man made philosophy, but the power of God!

I’m glad that Paul knew he didn’t have anything to offer but the gospel. I am grateful that he was weak by the world’s standards (2:1-5). It gives me hope to know that God uses weak men (1:27). Because I pray that He uses me.

Side Note: I am confident that power in the pulpit is directly related to prayer in the pews.Where we are unified, God is glorified.  I am extremely grateful for those who pray for me every week! I am really humbled by today’s reading. It’s a great way to start a Sunday! Let’s be focused on looking for the power of God to reveal Himself through His Word!

FATHER, We pray for the unity of your church today! We pray that our focus would be on you and not a man made philosophy or the way we think things ought to be. We don’t look for worldly wisdom, we look for you. We need spiritual discernment. Examine our hearts. Humble us. Draw us to faith and repentance. Make us more and more into the image of Jesus. We pray for salvation and faith today. Thank you for the calling to lead your people. We lift our voice and ask for the advancement of your kingdom! IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

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Day 22: Mark 13-15 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

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Today’s reading comes from Mark 13-15 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Jesus went to the garden to pray. He brought a few of the close disciples with Him and left them to keep watch. He had just spoken of the need to watch and pray in the previous chapter (13:32-37).  He wanted them to keep watch, however, they let him down by falling asleep. Jesus comments that they should pray against this temptation because, “the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak” (14:38).

Jesus was facing his own crucial moment. A moment that would effect all of them. He was praying to the Father for another way, but pressed on to pray, “Not what I will, but what you will” (14:36). The disciples didn’t know what was coming, or at least they didn’t know the immediacy of it. Jesus knew it was coming and was trying to prepare them.

We don’t always know that is coming down the road in our lives. There have been several moments where life seemed to be going fine and then something suddenly happened and we had to adjust and change direction. We’ve lost loved ones, addressed a health crisis, etc. In the grand scheme of things these are all relatively small things that we didn’t see coming that affected our life and schedule. Had we known about them in advance or even known when we would face something, we might have been better prepared. Jesus reminds us that there are events that we do know will unfold and they could unfold in our life time (13:32-37). Are we ready? Are we living at those who are ready for Christ to return at any moment?

Here is how I am praying through this passage today:

FATHER, Thank you for the blessing of your word. Thank you for grace to look into this moment you shared with your disciples. I pray that we would be those who are expectant and ready for your return. I pray that we would not be lazy or fall into temptation because we assume your return is a long way off, but that we would be those who are diligent and ready. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

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The Power of Prayer

On By pastorjonathanIn About Jonathan, Devotional, Prayer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

When we pray for others we don’t often know the outcome this side of Heaven. There were some women who prayed for me several years ago and I thought I should share the outcome of their prayer.

Around 15 years ago my mom went to a Christian camp in Montana. While she was there she came across a group of women who were serving at the camp. In the midst of conversation my mother mentioned that she had a son in Mobile, AL. She had always known that God had a call on his life and she had a burden to see him go to seminary. These women mentioned that their church had a seminary extension center. They then took the time for a special moment of prayer with my mother, asking God to birth a desire and work out a plan for me to go to seminary.

I was around 23 years old at the time and had absolutely no plans or ambition of going to seminary. At the age of 25 I was gloriously saved and had submitted myself to a group of men from my church for oversight and prayer. They came together after a year and confirmed my call to ministry but felt it essential for me go to seminary. Through these men, perhaps one in particular, God provided for the full cost of my first few years of seminary. (I could not have afforded it otherwise).

I attended seminary through the extension of the very same church that these women were from and eventually graduated in 2012!

Recently I was talking with my mother and she shared the incredible story I just outlined for you. She has always known God had a call on my life and she could often see my path clearer than I could at any given moment. She wisely takes everything to God in prayer and when her prayers are answered she quietly points back to God and in doing so she has proven to me over and over again that God hears our prayers.  I know this because for years my room was next to my parent’s room and I have silently witnessed her pray for many people and seen many things come to pass.

I know without a doubt that much of my life is a product of the faithfulness of a praying mom. When it came to praying for me to go to seminary, she enlisted the help of a few women from a particular church, that had a seminary extension. I ended up not only attending seminary, but attending through the extension center at the church these women attended. These women prayed a small prayer with my mom, but heaven was listening and they played a small but crucial role in seeing me go to seminary.

I am humbled and blessed that God would listen to the prayers of these women, that he would move on the hearts of a few men, that he would organize and orchestrate things so clearly that I could see His hand. In a very real sense my ministry is a fruit of their faithfulness. One of many I am sure.

When Insults become cause for Intercession Nehemiah 4:4-5

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional, leadership, NehemiahLeave a comment

Nehemiah 4:4-5

Words sting. We like to pretend they don’t, but they do. They produce pain and they cause us to retaliate. This is how arguments are started. We feel slighted or disrespected and we launch an attack on the other person. We level our own arguments for their inferiority or impossible reasoning. We return fire. We even feel justified, after all, we didn’t fire the first shot… they did. We were only responding in kind.

But what if instead of fighting back and lashing out we simply looked up? What if we took all of our hurts, our stings, our brokenness from whatever someone had said and we put it in the Lord’s hands? How would our lives be different if we took insults and turned them into intercession? That is what Nehemiah does. He doesn’t answer these men for all the insults they have hurled at him or his people. Instead he takes it to God in prayer.

Cover

Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. (Nehemiah 4:4-5 ESV)

There is comfort in taking your wounds to God. You are asking Him to plead your case. You know that He sees things more clearly than you do and He will meter out justice. Sometimes we forget that when we are on mission with God that we are not the ones who will answer enemy insults, but that our enemies will answer to God for their insults. They have not only attempted to discredit the workers, but they have attempted to discredit the work of God and God is more than capable of taking up for Himself.

Here Nehemiah prays an “imprecatory” prayer. This is the kind of prayer that sounds like you really have it in for your enemies. But a couple of things should be noted. Who can judge Nehemiah’s enemies more justly than God? If Nehemiah’s enemies are in the wrong, should they not be punished? Nehemiah is asking for justice, not revenge.

These men don’t just insult Nehemiah, but by implication by insulting his people, they are insulting God and standing against His plans. He is bringing back and restoring His people from captivity, a resurrection of sorts. A restored wall is a sign of a God who can bring his people back from the edge of destruction. Sanballat and Tobiah stance places them squarely at odds with God because they are at odds with his people. Nehemiah simply asks God to turn their desires for his people back on their own heads.