Prayer Post 3

Well, I have been making posts on prayer, and today I am posting a third. We have talked about why people do not pray (Prayer Post 1), and we have talked about prayer as conversation (Prayer Post 2). Now, I want to discuss the first characteristic of prayer, honesty. When we pray, we should pray with gut-level honesty. Let me illustrate with some verses from Exodus 5:22-23.

"Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

Here we have Moses talking (remember, prayer is just communicating with God) to God with gut-level honesty. Sounds like he is complaining. Well, in a way he may be, but he is not being irreverent to God, and that's the key. We can talk to God about anything we feel or think. I promise it will not shock God. We can be honest with God, and yet, we can still be fearful of him. When I feel like God has walked out on me, or if I feel like God is a million miles away, I tell him. There is nothing wrong with that. God desires to know about our happiness as well as our depression, anger, and frustration. We can communicate with God just like Moses. Moses felt that God had betrayed him. He thought God had put him up to something only to set him up for failure, and he communicated those thoughts and feelings to God in an honest way. Listen you can do the same. Express yourself (remember that Madonna song) to God in all honesty, but express yourself in worshipful, surrendered honesty. I tell you it is extremely liberating. Wherever you are right not, start talking to God honestly and openly. Do not use fancy words, but just talk with plain vernacular to the Holy One. He welcomes all you have to say.

Stay tuned for Prayer Post 4, which will include part two of praying with gut-level honesty!

Prayer Post 2

Prayer is simply communicating with God! Nothing more; nothing less.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:1-3

In these verses of Scripture, we see three things:

(1) Sighing is praying, and the Lord considers our sighing. There are all sorts of sighs. Sighs of disappointment, sadness, gladness, and security. All these are forms of praying because they are forms of communicating. We all know that most communication is done by body language and not just merely what we say. Often our body language betrays what we speak and truly reveals what we are thinking and feeling. This is how we detect a liar. Their body language and words do not match. The same is with our praying. We can communicate to God through our sighing and body language. Have you ever considered that? Reminds me of the verse in Romans 8 where Paul says that the Holy Spirit prays through him when he does not know what to say by groanings and utterances. Interesting!

(2) Secondly, God hears our voice. When we call out to God, we can be guaranteed that He hears us. Scripture says, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened." God really does hear our prayers! Of this, we can rest assured.

(3) Thirdly, we need to listen for God to speak to us. Communication is a two way street. It is not a monologue; it is dialogue. Do not forget that. God cares to hear what we have to say, but he desires to speak back to us. He wants to have conversations with us. So, when you pray, listen for God to speak back to you. Guess what? If you do, you will be truly transformed. Praise God!

Prayer Post 1

I think I will do a series of postings on prayer over the next few days. Here is the first.

Today, I just want to give you a list of the most common reasons, I have found, why people do not pray.

1. Not sure they know how to pray.
2. Get bored or distracted while trying to pray.
3. Think your request are too small.
4. Not sure your prayers make a difference.

If you have any comments to make about this list, or if you have more to add, please feel free to comment.

My Parish

"The whole world is my parish!" John Wesley

T.U.L.I.P.

T.U.L.I.P., that's a flower for fairies! We need some daring Wesleyans to stand up and preach Arminian doctrine. Why? Because it's Biblical, goshdarnit! God is love, and love gives freedom of choice. Amen brother! Preach it.

Real Teaching/Preaching

Real teaching/preaching is not about people feeling moved in the worship center; it is about people moving when they get out of the worship center.

Seekers!

Try this on for size:

"Seeker services don't work if there are no seekers in the service."

Erwin Raphael McManus, An Unstoppable Force