Recognizing God and Praying with Effectiveness

Day 18 of 365...

Genesis 19-21

Key Passages/Thoughts:

Gen 19:1-2 - "When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, 'My lords, turn aside to your servant's house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.'"

Do I recognize God?  There are times in my life when I'm so busy that I feel like I miss God.  No matter how hard I try, or how may reminders I give myself, I still miss God on a daily basis.  I think that my problem is just that…"I" try.  If my life were totally relinquished to God, then I wouldn't have this problem.  Lot recognized God's messengers without having to stop and think, "I wonder if this is someone God sent my way."  He KNEW!!  This brings up another issue for me...I always stop and try to rationalize what I need to do.  Remember in the New Testament when Jesus said that, "whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to Me."  This statement continues to haunt me due to the fact that I feel like I miss some of those "least of these" opportunities.  I have to live intentionally!  God gives me chances to reach out to the least of these every week, and it's my job to be aware of those chances and act.  No excuses!

Gen 20:17-18 - "Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children"

How's your prayer life?  This is one area in my life that I continue to try and improve upon.  There are times when I feel like my prayer life is lacking.  However, instead of being discouraged about it, I turn that into motivation to press through the difficult times.  God commanded us to pray continually.  I feel as though that is an attitude.  Most days, I am in a spirit of prayer throughout the day.  When God brings someone to mind, I usually pray for that person and that person's family.  However, I feel as though we miss out on how effective prayer can be.  Throughout these first few weeks of reading through the Bible, there have been a few instances where God told someone to have a particular person pray for them so that they could be healed or restored.  That is a perfect example of powerful, effective prayer.  The power of prayer has always been an area that has baffled me.  I feel that there is an area of prayer that I have yet to "tap" into.  In Biblical times, there were some powerful things that happened because of prayer...people healed, armies conquered, lives restored, jail doors flung open.  I have the same God these people did, yet my prayers pale in comparison.  One big reason is because I put limits on God.  God, if You would just heal (fill in the blank), but if You don't (fill in the blank).  It's almost like I don't believe that He'll heal, so my prayer is more about the coping aspect of the situation.  However, why can't my prayer just be for healing.  Pray and believe that God wants to heal that individual.  I learned a few years ago that to truly intercede for someone in prayer, you have to put yourself in the situation and determine the best way to pray for the person.  Think about the pain they may have, the questions they may be asking, the concerns they are facing.  It is then that you can pray with more effectiveness.  I continue to yearn for God to give me more understand as to how to pray more effectively.  It's all part of the process, I believe.  The more and more I die to myself and my desires, the more God makes me aware of His, and the more He gives me understanding as to how to pray with effectiveness.

To Laugh or To Act

Day 17 of 365...

Genesis 16-18

Key Passages/Thoughts:

Gen 16:13 - "So she named the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, 'Have I really seen here the One who sees me?'"

It is so encouraging to have the accounts where the Lord spoke to someone written down.  All throughout Scripture we have instances where the Lord spoke to...fill in the blank.  The other importance of this verse to me is that Hagar is aware of the fact that God sees her and everything she does.  This is both humbling and encouraging.  I have to admit that this scares me sometimes.  God sees everything I do!  I have heard this my whole life.  However, the more I think about it and try to truly understand that statement, the more I realize that this should be motivation.  There should be no fear involved.  While I am ashamed of some of the things that God has seen me do, and some of the things I will inevitably do, that doesn't mean I should be afraid.  God cares about me enough to watch over me.  It is my own shame and pride that causes the fear.  I pray that God continues to be the "God who sees" in my life, because, if He wasn't, there's no telling how bad things would be. 

Gen 17:17-18 - "Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and thought in his heart, 'Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?'"

Gen 18:11-12 - "Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.  So she laughed to herself: 'After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?'"

Have you ever heard God tell you something and had the kind of reaction Abraham and Sarah had?  There are times that God asks us to do some things that are off our radar, so to speak.  There are also times that the things He asks of us bring about this same type of reaction...laughter.  Almost as if we are asking God, "You want me to do what?"  The funny part of this scenario, though, is that it is obviously God speaking because I would never have thought to do what was asked of me.  It is in these moments that I am reminded of God's bigger plan.  Then, the question that I'm faced with is, do I want to participate or not?  It's quite humbling, actually.  Although the request may be strange, God has asked me to be a part of what He is doing!  It brings up a point that I talked about before ...why is it that I can't just say, "Yes" to God.  No matter the question, the trial, the circumstance, why can't I just say, "Yes."  God give me the courage to respond to whatever you ask of me in a way that would be pleasing to You.  Help me not to question You and trust that Your ways are best for me.

Building Altars

Day 16 of 365...

Genesis 12-15

Gen 12:7-8 - "So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.  From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped Him."

Where do I build altars?  In the Old Testament, people built altars to remember what God did for them.  In some cases, they would name the altar so that their descendants could see the altar for years to come and be reminded what God did for their people.  Building an altar meant something to them.  Today, our society builds all kinds of altars...the right car, the right job, college football team, or maybe it's success,  the corner office, the perfect kids.  There are a lot of things I build altars for, but God is asking me to remember the things He's done.  Where are His altars?  While mental altars are okay, I think having a visual reminder of what God has done is more effective.  I'm not saying I need to go get some stones and build an altar in my living room, but I am saying that I should have a visual reminder of when God spared me from something or delivered me from something.  It would serve as a reminder of what God is capable of.  Plus, I can use it to tell the story to my kids, my guests and anyone who will listen.  What would that look like?  I don't know that I could answer that because I haven't done it yet.  However, maybe it's as simple as a cross on a wall that is bought after God delivered you from a sin that you were struggling with.  Perhaps it's a piece of jewelry, maybe a piece of pottery...I don't know.  I'm just shooting from the hip here.  I'd be willing to bet that if we all started building altars to God, a few things would happen.  First, we'd leave a legacy for our kids.  They would be reminded of what God is capable of doing.  Second, we'd continue to move forward in our relationship with God instead of regressing because we would constantly be reminded of God's provision.  Finally, we'd bring people along in the journey.  Anytime someone would ask a question about it, God would receive all the glory as we tell the story of His deliverance.  If we had that many reminders of God's power among all His people, we would definitely see God moving in our society!

Gen 15:6 - "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness."

It's a pretty simple statement, but it's not so simple in application.  "Abram believed the Lord."  What is it that makes me question God when He says something?  God continually promised Abram that his descendants would outnumber the stars, but Abram and hi s wife hadn't had a child yet.  He was beginning to wonder how he was going to have that many descendants when he hasn't had one!  However, as the story points out, Abram trusted God at His word and that was that.  In my life, unfortunately, that's not all there is when God tells me something.  There are times when I take what God says and believe and that's it.  However, more often than not, I hear what God says and my initial response is to start asking questions.  Fear begins to grip my mind as to how I can do what God just told me.  That is when God reminds me that He just wants me to believe Him...bottom line.  There is no more delicate or intricate way of putting it.  God wants me to take Him as His word and trust Him.  It is then that God will credit that to me as righteousness.  I pray that God will give me the courage to do so.

Restoration

Day 15 of 365...


Job 40-42

Job 42:1-6 - "Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.  You asked, 'Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?'  Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.  You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak.  When I question you, you will inform Me.'  I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You.  Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes."

Job says this on the back end of God proclaiming His power and  might.  God goes through a few chapters of a list that is pretty impressive.  It make me think about how little I give God credit for.   My little finite mind cannot comprehend what it takes for God to keep things going on a daily basis.  God gives a little taste of what that entails to Job.  When I read this list of things, I can't help but respond similarly to what Job did.  It makes my pain and suffering seem awfully insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  However, I am reminded that God, in the midst of all that He maintains, cares for me enough that He wants me to learn something and experience Him in a new way.  He cares for me enough that He wants to discipline me so that His eternal plan can be fulfilled in some infinitesimal way through me.  I say that with no pride or egotism!  God truly wants to use each of us to carry out His eternal plan...that's humbling.  Just as God used Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Martin Luther, George Muller, Billy Graham, Gladys Aylward, and list goes on...He wants to use me.  However, I have to be willing to be prepared spiritually in order for that to occur.  Until I'm willing to answer God's questions of me, then He can't use me to the fullest.  Just as Job did, as soon as God begins to ask His questions and give me His perspective, I should respond by taking back my words and repent in dust and ashes.  I think that job is a perfect example of how to endure through difficult times.  I've spoken on this before, but the cycle is worth instilling into our memory. 

First of all, when the "event" happens, there is an initial response to God.  When I make this initial response, it is me trying to frame what has just happened in my mind.  After I make this response, and I think I have it framed in my mind, I begin the questioning process with God.  Who, what, why, you name it and I ask it.  At this point, God is still silent.  He's still allowing the emotional cycle to spin until this next step...exhaustion.  After I've exhausted all my questions and emotions, I am at the end of my understanding and myself, for that matter.  It is here where I tell God that I have nothing left, and it is here where God meets me with His divine wisdom.  The lessons that I learn during this time mean more because of process I went through to get there, and I think God knows that.  In my life, wisdom learned through suffering and pain lasts longer than wisdom learned during the "good times."  The last part of the process using the knowledge and wisdom God imparted in this process with someone else.  This takes a bit of humility because I have to be willing to admit where I messed up and how God restored me.  However, to me, this is also the payoff!  It is in these moments that I realize that all the struggle, pain and tears were all worth it for that particular moment.

Job 42:12 - "So the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the earlier."

The ending to Job's story is one of restoration.  God restored his family, his possessions and his prosperity.  However, the tendency here is to think that God will give us those things, too.  I think God restores  each of us in different ways.  We have to be careful not to fall into the "prosperity gospel" crowd after reading this.  God's will restore us, but it may be in a different way than what we are expecting because His ways are not ours.  The way that I read this, as opposed to prosperity, is that God restored Job's relationships.  He restored his family and his friends (even those who spoke falsely).  So, when difficult times come, I pray for restoration, but, I pray that I am aware of how God restores me because it's not always how I expect.  I am so thankful that His understanding and plans are far beyond mine!

Conquering My "Core" Sins

Day 14 of 365...


Job 38-39

Job 38:1-3 - "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: 'Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?  Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me.'"

First of all, we have finally reached the conversation between Job and God.  We no longer have to hear from friends making conjectures about things.  We hear from God Himself!  That is why I love verse 1 of chapter 38!  It says the LORD answered Job.  I think it's important to note something else...not only did God, Himself, speak, but I find the timing in which God spoke interesting.  God could have answered Job at any point during this whole process, but God decided to wait until Job "got it all out."  This is just another example of how BIG my God is.  He can handle my anger, distress, discouragement, confusion, sorrow, or anything else I can throw at Him.  When all my emotions are exhausted, God is still standing there ready to respond, just like He does here with Job.  The last thing to point out about this short passage is this...after Job has thrown all his emotions and verbal jabs at God, God responds by saying that Job must now answer Him like a man.  Whatever God asks Job, he must be prepared to give a response.  I think this is an important lesson to learn.  In my opinion, this is the final step in the process of what God wants me to learn.  First, I must come to the end of myself because that's where I finally relinquish control to God.  Then, I must be prepared to listen to what God has to say.  Finally, I must be willing to answer the tough questions that God will inevitably ask.  In my experience, the questions that God asks me cut straight to the core of what the issue is.  While I think I may be struggling with an anger problem, let's say, God points out that anger is just the end product of a deeper issue that needs to be resolved.  Chip Ingram said in his book "Living on the Edge" that there are only 3 core sins, but the by-products of those sins are limitless (I actually added the last part).  The 3 core sins are:

1. The lust of the flesh = the passion "to feel" -this is hedonism.
2. The lust of the eyes = the passion "to have" -this is materialism.
3. The pride of life = the passion "to be" -this is egotism and self-centeredness.

So, it's "simple" really...all I have to do is conquer 3 core sins!  Well, the only good news is that there are only 3, not 10 or 20.  The bad news is that there are a lot of "by-products" that I have to work through in order to get to the "core."  This is why the refining process is difficult the closer I get to the core of who I am.  God begins to ask some difficult questions that I don’t feel like answering sometimes.  However, I've found that I would rather face those questions than live in ignorance.  When I lived in ignorance, my life had no direction, my marriage was a disaster due to my egotism, and I felt dead inside.  When God began the refining process, it was difficult to endure (and still is) at times.  But, the results of the process were a life with a clear direction, a marriage that has never been better than it is right now, and a well of life that springs up from inside me.  Now, when God asks His questions of me, He digs a whole lot deeper, and it's difficult to answer Him, at times.  However, I continue to pray that He gives me the strength to continue to answer Him like a man.

Tested by Affliction

Day 13 of 365...


Job 35-37


Job 36:15-17,21 - "God rescues the afflicted by afflicting them; He instructs them by means of their torment.  Indeed, He lured you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and unconfined place.  Your table was spread with choice food.  Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you...Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity, for that is why you have been tested by affliction."


I'm pretty sure that I've already said some of things that I garnered from these verses, but some of them bear repeating.  First of all, Elihu is still delivering his diatribe to Job and all who will hear.  The first verse of this passage struck me.  You would think that the way to deliver someone from their suffering is to remove them from it.  However, this contradicts the way God works.  In order for Him to instruct us, He has to get our attention first.  I'm not saying that the only way to get our attention is through suffering and torment, but, it is one of the means He can use.  I don't know about everyone else, but I know that, when I'm suffering, I am more willing to listen and learn from God than when times are good.  This begs the question, "Why don't I listen better in the good times?"  Well, that's a valid question that I don't have an answer for.  It is comforting to know that God "rescues" me from my affliction through my affliction, though.  I have come to realize that I don't want to have to go through all the hard times in my life for no reason.  I want there to be a purpose behind the pain.  Thankfully, God uses the things I've learned through my pain and suffering to help others going through similar circumstances, which makes going through those things worthwhile.  It's worthwhile because God taught me something through it, and I was able to encourage someone with the lesson that God taught me.


Then, Elihu points out how God provided for Job.  God delivered him out of distress and filled his table with choice food.  Now, Job is complaining that all that God blessed him with was taken away.  Again, you can't have it both ways.  I have to be thankful for what God gives me, but I also have to be thankful for what He decides to take away.  In both cases, God deems it necessary in order for me to live up to my potential in Him.  Then, in verse 21, Elihu states, "Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity, for that is why you have been tested by affliction."  This is the biggest temptation during trying times.  The temptation is to turn to iniquity and not wait on God.  However, I've discovered that the best way to plan for trying times (because they will come) is to continue to be in God's Word and in prayer.  The reason being is twofold.  First, God wants to spend one on one time with me.  The second reason, which is just as important, is that through that time I spend with Him, I learn what His voice sounds like.  This is an important thing to remember, especially during those hard times.  If I know what my Heavenly Father's voice sounds like, then, when I cry out to Him in those difficult times, I will be able to discern His voice through all the noise.  It will also keep me from turning to iniquity, because His voice will guide me through barren lands.  It's my job to prepare for the hard times when times are good.  I have to put the work in ahead of time.  Otherwise, when affliction comes, and it will, then I won't do so well under the pressure.  God give me the discernment to know what Your voice sounds like, and give me the strength to endure the afflictions that will come my way.

Never Too Young for Wisdom...Never Too Old for Humility

Day 12 of 365...


Job 32-34



Job 32:6-9 - "I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.  I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom.  But it is a spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty that give him understanding.  It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge."


There's a younger man listening to Job and his friends go back and forth, and his name was Elihu.  On a side note, I wonder how "young" he was because people were living for a long time back then.  Was he ONLY 150?  Anyway, I digress....  Elihu speaks with a good amount of wisdom and understanding.  He is tired of hearing Job's friends condemning him and not speaking truth into his life.  He is also tired of Job because Job, according to verse 2, was justifying himself instead of God.  Finally, Elihu had enough and decided to speak.  Usually, young men were the ones disputing things and the elder men acted as moderators, but in this instance, the roles are reversed.  This passage was encouraging to me because Elihu understands where wisdom comes from.  He also points out that just because you are old doesn't mean that you are wise.  The challenge here for me is to rely on the Almighty for my wisdom and understanding.  I've been in situations where I've spoken from my own "wisdom," and, surprisingly, it failed to resound with the person receiving such "wise" counsel.  However, I've also been in situations where I could feel the Spirit speak through me, and, what the Spirit told me say, was exactly what that person needed at that time.  The goal is for that to happen every time!


Job 33:12-16 - "But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter, since God is greater than man.  Why do you take Him to court for not answering anything a person asks?  For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it.  In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on their beds, He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings,"


I love this particular passage!  Elihu talks about different ways God tries to communicate to us.  I hear God speak to me through many different avenues.  I've had Him speak to me through a song, a movie, a friend, my wife, and many other things.  However, the problem I tend to have is that I'm not listening all the time.  There are days where the busyness of the day overwhelms me, and I don't listen as well as I should.  It is in those moments where I am acutely aware of God speaking to me that I long for more of those moments.  The idea is to try and cut out the distractions that I have.  There are times when I need to slow things down or even refocus myself to be in tune with what God is trying to say to me.  The other key to hearing from God, for me, is to want to hear what He has to say.  There are times when I'm scared of what God may say, so I don't exactly seek His input.  It is then that I realize that I can't have it both ways.  Otherwise, it turns God into a Santa of sorts.  I only want the blessings He gives me and not the correction.  It is then that God's voice is harder to hear, because that's not how He operates.    


Job 34:31-33 - "Suppose someone says to God, 'I have endured my punishment; I will no longer act wickedly.  Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won't do it again.'  Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected His?  You must choose, not I!  So declare what you know."


Elihu paints a perfect picture as to how to approach God.  Many times, I approach God on my terms, but, Elihu points out that God needs to be approached on His terms.  If I truly want to learn what God wants me to learn, then I have to submit to His way of teaching.  While that's easy to say, putting that into practice is where it becomes quite difficult.  I think that this is where the breakdown tends to happen.  Why?  God tends to ask me to do things that are uncomfortable.  No one really enjoys being uncomfortable, but it is in that discomfort that understanding happens.  I have reached a point in my life where I want to seek ways of being uncomfortable, which goes against everything society teaches.  The way I see it, though, is the more uncomfortable I am, the more God is working in and through me.  It is a humbling process, but I wouldn't have it any other way.