At least, we can pray

I pray, all the time, every day.  Now before you canonize me, let me clarify that.  I do not spend hours on my knees.  I do not live in the church’s sanctuary for days on end.  I cultivate a ‘God-awareness’ that allows me to breathe my prayers.  Praying is not an activity that is some part of my day, it is a way of life that shapes my day – from my meditation in the early morning, to my petitions at mid-day, to my commitment of all that I love to Him as I lay down to sleep.  Prayer is a deeply emotional part of my life – where I cry, laugh, groan, sing, and often simply keep silent!  Sometimes prayer overflows from a sense of deep need and sometimes joy just bursts into prayer.  This much I know – prayer changes me and the world in which I live; no doubt about it.

If you want to be an agent for positive change, pray!  God gives us a privilege of bringing every situation, every need, every joy to Him in prayer.  He invites us to ask Him about anything; our fears, doubts, sicknesses, hopes, kids, marriage, church, sins, victories, losses, successes, and failures.  Are you taking Him at His Word?  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”  (Phillipians 4:6 NLT) 

The practice of prayer should not be difficult, yet for many Christians it is.  What is offered as a source of strength and comfort becomes a source of guilt, even shame.  Over the years many have told me, “Pastor, I know I should pray, but I don’t. What is the best way to pray?”  Jesus’ disciples felt that inadequacy, too, and asked Him to teach them to pray.  His response to that request was to remind them that prayer is not a performance. “When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (Matthew 6:6-8, NLT)  Get alone with God. Approach Him, not as a fearful Deity, but as Father.  Avoid endlessly repetitive words. Let the Spirit align you with His will!

He gave them the model that we call The Lord’s Prayer. “This, then, is how you should pray: ”‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’" (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV)  

True prayer is so much more than a ‘shopping list’ or a recitation of our needs. When we pray, we connect with God and we are changed. If our prayers are just offered to get God to do what we want Him to do, let’s be honest here – we will soon quit ‘praying’ out of frustration.  Too many of those prayers seem to go unanswered. That’s not to say we cannot or should not ask Him for specific needs. We are invited to do that, but with a humble heart.  The better part of prayer is learning to lean on Him, to commune with Him as we sense His Presence working in us.

Make prayer your first response, not your last resort.  If you find yourself saying, “well, at least we can pray,”  you have a false paradigm in place.  You are trying to be God and only when you are completely overwhelmed will you turn to the Lord in desperation.  Change that.  Let God be God and become His child.  Then, you will say, “Let’s pray,” and delight in consciously entering into communion with the Almighty, Sovereign, Friend, Savior, Healer, and King!  Be wary of those who offer prayer formulas, who claim to know how to get God to do what they want, or who imply that they know exactly how to pray.  Prayer involves great faith and deep mystery.  God reminds us that “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." (Isaiah 55:9, The Message)  And He invites to come and learn and lean!

Here are two words of invitation.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV)

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV)

Let us pray!

In this I rejoice!

“I was once a sinner, but I came, pardon to receive from my Lord.”  I sang that song about a  new name written down many times in Sunday night church services. Today, even more than then, I rejoice in that declaration.  We are part of a world gripped by sin and under God’s judgment.  The condition is universal: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23, NIV) In spite of His revelation in Creation, Word, and Spirit – humans ignore Him, worship created things instead of the Creator, and insist going their own way, stumbling around in darkness.  If you will be an honest observer of yourself and your world, it’s hard to deny the reality of Evil!

But God … oh, how I love that Divine conjunction! After the awful opening of the letter to the Romans, the Son dawns in the latter half of chapter 3! "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known … This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  …  and (all) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:21-25, NIV)  Paul invites us to go deeper than some goosebumpy experience and into the Truth of God’s work on our behalf.  Let’s do a little theology.

First, through faith in Christ we are made righteous. We are not sinners any longer. We are saints, the image of God restored, our relationship with our Father intact; "because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14, NIV)  Declared perfect (complete, whole) by God, I now live out the process of becoming holy in His sight.

Second, through His grace we are justified! The Judge of all the earth looked at the evidence, saw our guilt, and because of Jesus, declared us not guilty.  We need not carry shame and guilt any longer because His gavel fell and the judgment was in our favor. "Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!" (Ephesians 2:8, The Message)

Third, Jesus redeems us!  We sold ourselves as slaves to sin and evil held us in a tight grip. In the ancient world, if you defaulted on a debt, you could be (and often were!) sold into indentured servitude.  You had to work off the debt unless a redeemer would pay on your behalf and give back your life.  Jesus gave us our freedom by buying our debt.  We are no longer slaves to sin, but sons of God!

Fourth, God was fully satisfied by the sacrifice of Christ, which is our atonement.  It’s a little corny, but it works – Atonement can be understood as “At-One-ment.”  Because of the Cross, we are fully at peace, one with our Creator, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2, NIV)

Is this all just the stuff of religion, arcane ideas that occupy the minds of pastors and theologians?  No, these are truths to live by, that change those who believe, that give us reason to rejoice in living hope.  We can get all excited about somebody’s story (and we should) but at the end, you and I will stand before God, with only one story, that of Christ and His grace.  We need to know that we are saved – justified, redeemed, at one with our Father, for the right kind of life comes from the right kind of thinking.

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19, The Message)

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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see!

Public domain

Many tears, much grace

Lord, wipe away those tears

It was a tough day. In the morning, I put my face on the carpet and prayed, but my heart was so heavy that my prayers were mostly groans, wordless sighs. In the afternoon, I spent time with three elderly Christians; one, in her 90’s, fell at home last week. She is so fearful of not being able to return to her home. We cried together. Another, in the grip of dementia, was in her bed at the home where she lives. When I entered her room, her face brightened. “I like seeing you,” she said kindly, though I do not think she knows my name. She held my hand tightly as we prayed. The third awaits death, confined by weakness. Tears fell down her cheeks as we asked the Lord to be her peace. Another family talked about spiritual crisis in their child’s life reinforcing my deep concern for how we, Christ’s Church, are handing off the faith to the next generation.

The Psalmist cries to the Lord: "You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful." (Psalm 80:5, NLT) "My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you." (Psalm 42:3-6, NIV)  That’s NOT just beautiful poetry!  Those prayers are mine! With great hope I cry out, "Restore our fortunes, O LORD… Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." (Psalm 126:4-5, NIV)  

Do not confuse sorrow with despair. There is a difference! Despair is hopelessness, but deep sorrow is a fertile place where faith can grow, where God can be found. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18, NLT)  I love the Hebrew in that passage. Where we read ‘crushed’ the word means ‘turned to dust.’  Yes, sorrow grinds us down, but God makes beautiful things from the dust, as the song says.

There is so much suffering in this world which is so broken by sin. But, we know that God sent His Son Jesus to save us- from our sins and from the destiny of destruction. And, when His kingdom comes, tears will dry. When the struggle’s over, God will draw us close!  "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5, NIV) Oh, happy day!

Are you crying? Is your heart broken? The natural response is to find some diversion, some way to avoid sorrow. Instead, let yourself feel the suffering and enter into it with Christ at your side.

Don’t try to numb your soul by turning up the noise or burying yourself in pleasure. Those things offer no balm for the soul. Instead, wait on God. Sit quietly. Let tears flow. Accept the love of friend and family, even from those who offer clichés and pats on the back. Perhaps they have never hurt in the way that you do but they mean well. Pray for protection from cynicism that turns people into ugly, self-absorbed, and mean being!

Suffering can make us into beautiful people; full of grace, tender, and with an other-worldly grip on eternity. I smiled as one of the women with whom I was visiting said, “You are a much better Pastor these days. You know how we feel when we are sad.” I hope she speaks the truth.  My own spiritual journey has taken me through some dark valleys.

And remember …  “He will wipe every tear” from our eyes. Gordon Jensen wrote a song with this memorable line, “God weeps along with man and takes him by the hand, tears are a language God understands.”   Are the tears ready to fall today?  Has the disappointment, the pain, the unrelenting struggle with the curse of sin nearly broken you in two?  Find a place alone with Him and let the tears fall, each a wordless prayer for renewal of hope, for healing, for forgiveness.  Then, with courage, give yourself, your situation, your life, your kids- to the Lord who reigns over all. He will give you the grace you need, for this day.  "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18, NLT)

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness,

O God, my Father.

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee.

Thou changest not,

Thy compassions they fail not.

As Thou hast been

Thou forever wilt be!

Summer and winter

And springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars

In their courses above;

Join with all nature

In manifold witness,

To Thy great faithfulness,

Mercy and love!

Pardon for sin

And a peace that endureth;

Thy own dear presence

To cheer and to guide.

Strength for today

And bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine

With ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning,

New mercies I see.

All I have needed,

Thy hand hath provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Lord, unto me!

Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan

© Words: 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company

Music: 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company

CCLI License # 810055