Month: November 2024

Refine your Message

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It has been my observation, during the time we spend talking to God, he gradually aligns our will with his, changing the way we view a situation, and changing the way we respond to a problem. Sometimes we miss his answers (because we are not listening or we are expecting a different answer so we do not recognize it when it comes), and other times the answer comes through reading the Bible or talking to others, but God will answer. His wisdom sees farther and loves deeper than we can imagine. God enables us to set our vision for an eternity fellowshipping with those he loves, not just gratification in the immediate moment. There is no one else who can see and know what he does, and he delights to share his wisdom with us in prayer.

If you have an approach to formulate your prayer, then stick with it. Nurture your method and grow close to God. If you were curious about finding something different to formulate your prayer time, you might consider using the ACTS approach (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication). Let us take a closer look at the four elements.

Adoration. Begin your prayer in adoration and praise of God. When the time is right, focus on the absolute majesty and wonder of who God is and how He desires to be with you, always. If you want inspiration, you can pray with a Psalm of praise such as Psalm 100, or Psalm 67.

Contrition. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your sinfulness and need for God’s mercy and grace. Become comfortable talking with God about specific sins — repent and seek forgiveness. Check out Psalms 51 for an example.

Thankfulness. Take the time to thank God for the positive things in your life. Try to notice the blessings you often take for granted. Take a look at Psalms 77 for an example.

Supplication. lift up your cares and concerns to God. Pray for the people in your life, for those who are suffering, for the needs of all people throughout the world. Ask God to show you who to pray for today.

If the Holy Spirit—God’s way of being with us, working through us, and speaking to us—is the way in which continuity is maintained between the life of Jesus and the life of Jesus’ community, then prayer is the primary way we receive and participate in that presence. Prayer is our way of being attentively present to God who is present to us in the Holy Spirit. This frees us from thinking that prayer is about our posture or our ‘right words.’ Prayer is a part of being attentive to the God who is already present with us; to the God already at work in us, our communities, and the world; and to the God who wants us to participate in his ongoing work.

As we pray, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit whether we recognize it or not. Paul says — we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God (Romans 8:26–27).

In this passage, Paul is saying more than — When you cannot find the words, the Spirit will help. We are given assurances the Holy Spirit is interceding as needed. As needed, the Holy Spirit will take whatever we offer, however rich or impoverished our words are, however inadequate we feel, and intercede. This is an amazing part of prayer and of the relationship we foster with the one true living God. He fills in the blanks. We are struggling, unsure how to proceed, he moves with authority. He then gives us glimpses of his plan, his focus, his assurance we are in a safe harbor. Why? Because we have yielded to him, we have conformed our requests to his will.

In Revelation 5, John describes a vision of a slain Lamb upon a throne, surrounded by elders who are constantly worshiping. Each elder is holding a golden bowl full of incense, the incense in the bowl are the prayers from the people of God. Our ordinary, everyday prayers reach the very presence of God. They fill the throne room. They are the smoke that surrounds the throne.

I choose Jesus.

Hidden Treasures in Secret Places

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It has been my observation while reading Ezra, that Cyrus was a significant player in the transition of Israel back to the promised land after the 70-year exile to Babylon. Cyrus was not a believer, but he was clearly being guided and rewarded by the one true living God for his actions. Who was this Guy?

Cyrus was a Mede, some say his father was Astyages, the King of Media. There is no clear biography of him that has survived for us to read. The consensus of historians suggests he was an outcast in his infancy; he was found and raised by a Bedouin family of shepherds. Like Moses, he was a very smart person and found his way to the throne, demonstrating his iron when Croesus king of Lydia attacked his country. His defense and counterattack enabled him to take Sardis which led to ownership of a very wealthy kingdom of Lydia. He became a powerful, aggressive king. In all this, he maintained a positive demeanor that was noted by the one true living God.

Isaiah wrote – This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of, to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains, I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. (Isaiah 45:1-4)

Clearly after all this, Cyrus was a very prominent figure in the middle east. He pursued many countries and was able to expand his influence over Babylon. Eventually, in conjunction with his uncle Darius and with the forces of Persia, he successfully attacked Babylon. See Daniel 5 for details. Why Babylon? This was an exceptional acquisition; Babylon was crazy rich and strong. The city was huge, nearly 45 miles in diameter. The city walls were so thick it was said that six chariots could ride side by side upon them. Yet, Cyrus seems to be capable of taking Babylon. God empowered Cyrus to rescue his people from Babylon.

Ezra wrote — In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing. This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4).

I think we should take a close look at the fact that Cyrus is called God’s anointed, Cyrus was groomed to lead. He could be counted on when the going got a bit rough. In a loose sense, he was a ‘type’ of a Messiah for Israel during their time of trouble. We must be incredibly careful to note that Cyrus was not part of the Hebrew tribes. He was an outsider. Yet he was used by God. What can be learned from this?

The deeper truth – God can use anybody, any place, any time to accomplish his will. We are privileged to be included and let in on his plan. Are you having trouble with your non-Christian boss? God has demonstrated he will influence others (non-Christians) to do things that will further His kingdom. No one is out of bounds for his influence. When his people are in trouble, God will move to help them.

I choose Jesus.

The Path Forward

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It was my observation while browsing Psalms, that David and Asaph often spoke of the need to meditate on the truth of God, the works of God, and the nature of God. Psalms 77:10-12 tells us – I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago, I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds (NIV).  This is a clear mandate for meditation. But how do we meditate from a biblical viewpoint? Let me be clear, meditation is not sitting still and emptying your mind of all thoughts. It is not a ship drifting aimlessly in a still ocean, with no anchor or no sail. Rather, meditation is focused, contemplation on a theme from scripture, which includes giving ample space for God’s word to breathe life into you, for the Spirit of the living God to teach you. Psalms 119:15 tells us – I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways (NIV).

So, what do we do? We step away from busyness and noise, internal and external. Get still, find a place that is quiet. Find a time that is quiet. Get alone with God. Just as you moved the dial on a radio to a specific channel, do the same with God – focus your mind on him. This takes time to learn, time to engage in intentional meditation. It is easy to read a few scriptures, it is not so easy to really ponder on the word, and patiently wait in quietness for the message from God to arrive. Psalms 49:3-4 implies — My mouth will speak your words of wisdom; meditation from my heart brings understanding (NIV).

Start simple, focused, with modest objectives. Work at getting 5 minutes of focus on the essence of God. If you drift, do not be too hard on yourself. Keep trying. God will respect the effort and deliver. Find a regular time. Put this time on your calendar if needed. Time is not found, it is scheduled. Make a plan. Stick to it. Select the right time and the right location. In time you can and will meditate anyplace. You will learn to shut out the outside din and inside self-talk to get focused on God. But, at first it is wise to meditate in the same place at a regular time.  Psalms 1:2 implies we are to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law — day and night.

Isaac found it helpful to meditate in his field in the evening, someplace where others did not disturb him, where he was surrounded by the splendor of God’s creation (implied in Gen. 24:63).  Develop a standard plan of action. This is directed thought, not mindlessness. Build a list of topics, keep them on your phone, build a list of verses you want to ponder on, keep them on your phone (edit the list as needed). Get the topic or verse in your head – get started. This is God’s thing – give him space to work. Let him teach. Work the scripture, over and over. Let the Spirit do his job. Absorb.

If you are struggling with something, this is a good time to ponder on how to leverage God’s word to resolve the issue. This is a time for honesty and ownership of our part in the situation. This is a time to hear God’s plan and then learn from the master. Focus on the word, let God speak through his word. Find a path forward. Finding internal peace is the goal, getting quiet is the method, embracing rest is the outcome (see Psalm 77 for a template). In my view, meditating involves us having an open heart, a slow contemplation of God. We should be much more interested in what God has to say about the passage we are meditating upon than what we think about that passage. Be still and know he is God. Major on listening, minor on talking.

I know this topic is a big ‘ask.’ Give it a little thought. I do not meditate all day, but I do set down and focus my thoughts on God often each week. When I am swimming in the noise of the day, I turn to him.

I choose Jesus.

Gladness of Heart

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It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon often commented on the vanity of gathering and holding wealth. He suggested the best course we can take is to carefully use what we have, save some for the future, but at the same time — provide for our families, serve God with it, do good with it, and most important; deliver this support within the limits of our income; furthermore, we are to avoid fretting because of limits presented by our income (take a fresh look at my last essay).

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 says — This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. (NIV)

I think Solomon is suggesting we are to be sober and moderate in the use of our resources granted as a gift from God for the labor we accomplish each day. God gives us work and income to ease our days and to provide things for our family. It is not proper to starve because of covetousness, or, on the other hand, to aggressively spend to satisfy our ‘nice things’ pursuit. We are wise to contain our spending within our means. We are advised to feed our families and keep our families safe as we serve the one true living God. Acquisition is not the goal. Service to God and family is the goal.

Ecclesiastes 2: 24-25 — A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. (NIV)

We are not being asked by God to work ourselves into the ground and then leave wealth for others to enjoy. We are being advised to do things in moderation, use the wealth gained to live a quiet life, and allocate the income so it sustains us for the days of our life. Job wrote — A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed (Job 14:5). We are wise to manage our income with a focus towards our family and God’s service. Let us spend our days serving our family and God’s family with as much joyfulness as we can muster. Find work we can do, learn to love the work, and be happy to share the fruit of our labor. This call to service is not one of drudgery, we are not slaves, but take pleasure in the calling and dive into the work with cheerfulness.

Hebrews 6: 9-12 says — we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (NIV)

The deeper truth – Happiness is an attitude, attitudes are a choice we make; I have said many times — as a man thinks, a man is. Move your mind towards happiness, firmly embrace the goodness of God. You will be surprised by the cool stuff that happens when you enter His gates with praise on your lips. When you use a few gifts wisely, God will bring more your way, because you have proven yourself to be a good steward of a few things (see Proverbs 3:6, Proverbs 3:9-10). Plan. Decide. Move. Assess. Adjust. Move. Do the right things for the right reasons. Take pleasure in your work as a sweet offering to God.

I choose Jesus.