prayer

10
Jan
2020

Prayer Q & A

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on September 2, 2017.

Thoughts on Prayer

by Ashley Renstrom

What is Prayer?

“You are in my prayers.” “I’ll be praying for you.” Christians often share those words with others, but what do they really mean? What is prayer? Prayer is a Christian’s way of communicating with God. It is conversation with him, the communion of a believer’s heart with God. Prayer is the work of the Holy Spirit in Christians. The Holy Spirit works through the Bible; that is the means by which he fills us with God’s grace and enables us to pray.

Prayer is not just rambling words, as Jesus reminded us when he said, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7). Prayer involves our words and our heart. King David wrote, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” (Psalm 19:14). In prayer, we want to align our hearts with God.

Prayer is not magic. It does not make demands. Prayer is not a guarantee against suffering. It is not an opportunity for us to show off. Prayer is not a last resort. Instead, prayer is talking to the one true God. Prayer is a wonderful privilege, a blessing earned by Jesus and granted to believers.

Why Do Christians Pray?
Prayer is an amazing privilege, a blessing earned by Jesus and granted to believers. Prayer occurs when a believer talks to God with heart and mind. We know what prayer is, but why do we pray?

One reason Christians pray is to spend quality time with our heavenly Father. Here on earth, we talk with people on a daily basis. As we communicate with them, we understand them better and build a relationship with them. The same is true with our heavenly Father. We have the opportunity to talk with him daily about anything and everything, spending quality time with him and growing closer to him.

We also pray because God directs us to pray to him. He tells us to call on him in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:15), and to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Christians pray because God promises to hear and answer our prayers (Psalm 91:15). We pray to God to give thanks to him, to praise him, and tell him our thoughts, worries, and troubles. God loves to hear our prayers (Proverbs 15:8), and desires for us to talk to him each and every day.

What Can Our Prayers Include?
Joseph Scriven was an Irish poet who lived in the 1800s. He suffered many tragedies and trials in his life, including the deaths of two fiancées and bouts of depression. After the death of his first fiancée, Scriven emigrated from Ireland to Canada. While in Canada, he received word that his mother had fallen severely ill. He wrote a poem to comfort her. In that poem he wrote, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” That poem was later set to music and is known as the hymn, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus.” Joseph Scriven nailed it on the head: we can pray to God about anything and everything.

An acronym frequently used to help people focus their prayers is ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

  • Adoration is all about praise. In a prayer of adoration we get to express our love for God and praise his power and majesty.
  • We need to come before God in confession each and every day. We sin daily and fall short of God’s perfection. So we confess our sinfulness and specific sins, ask for forgiveness, and thank the Lord for his unending mercy and grace. Each time we confess to God, we trust that he forgives us. We also ask for help to turn away from future temptations.
  • Prayers of thankfulness give God glory. There is much we are thankful for! We can thank him for all of the earthly blessings he bestows upon us, but do not want to forget thanks for our spiritual blessings as well. Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you. Thank the Holy Spirit for the faith he has worked in you.
  • Prayers of supplication can be for ourselves and for others. No prayer is too big or too small. We pray in accordance with God’s will for desires for ourselves and others in this world. No matter what we are praying about or praying for, we pray in the name of Jesus and pray according to God’s will, for he knows best.
What’s The Answer, God?
God delights in our prayers and he hears all of them. He is never too busy to listen. We don’t have to leave a message on the answering machine and wait for him to listen and respond. He listens to our prayers the moment we begin speaking to him.

Not only does God always hear all of our prayers, he also answers all of them. God may answer our prayers in a few different ways. He might say, “No, that’s not good for you. I love you too much and have a better plan.” When our prayers are not answered in the way we want, it does not mean that God did not hear the request. It does not mean that God did not answer your prayer. When he doesn’t answer in the way we want, he is answering in the way that is best for us. It is not always easy to understand in this life. However, we have his promise that he will always do what is best for us.

Another answer God gives to prayer is, “Wait, and keep talking and listen to me.” While we wait, God draws us closer to him and strengthens our faith. A psalmist wrote, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5). In this day in age, people want instant answers to everything. However, God does not follow our timeline. God has his own timeline, and it is the best. While we wait, we wait patiently, leaning on his word.

God may also answer a prayer with, “Yes, here it is right now,” or “Yes, here is what you asked plus a little more.” God answers our prayers with answers that are best for our welfare. He loves us and takes care of us spiritually and physically. God knows what he is doing. Jeremiah wrote, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We see God’s answers in our lives and hear his answers when we read his Word. It is important for us to stay connected to God through his Word and listen to him. It becomes easier to accept God’s will in answering our prayers when we remember that he “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). God loves us, and we can trust him to answer our prayers according to what he knows is best for us—because his way is perfect.
Posted by David Sellnow
27
Dec
2019

Being Christ to our neighbors in the city

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on August 11, 2015.  Henry Tyson wrote this powerful testimony in connection with his ministry in Milwaukee WI. He passionately urges all of us, in every city and town and village, to be living witnesses for Jesus to those among whom we live — to the communities we are called to serve in the name of Christ.

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Living as Christians in Milwaukee’s Central City

by Henry Tyson

How is it possible that there can be so many Christians and churches in Milwaukee’s central city and yet the church seems powerless in the face of segregation, poverty, and crime?  What can we say about the life of Christian and what such a life will look like in a city so gripped with ungodly behavior?  From a biblical standpoint, one can see that the life of a Christian in Milwaukee’s central city – in the face of all that we see – will be marked by extreme joy, increasing holiness, radical love, and urgent, prayerful solitude, all to the glory of God.

Satan has laid claim to this city by leading people away from the Lord and thoroughly destroying the fabric of traditional families and communities.  The resulting chaos enables Milwaukee to lay claim to the ignoble titles of most segregated city in America, city with the highest incarceration rates among African Americans, an extremely high homicide rate, and one of the highest rates of child poverty in the richest nation on earth.  If Christ were a Milwaukeean today, what would his ministry look like?  Where would we find him?  What would people make of him?  Surely we would find him joyful in demeanor, radical in love, urgent and prayerful in solitude, and fruitful in his ministry.

In his first letter, the apostle Peter explained why the life of a Christian will be a life filled with joy.  Following a clear and concise explanation of the pure gospel, Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen Christ, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”  (1 Peter 1:8-9).  The “salvation of your souls” is in reference to the Christian’s movement from eternal death to eternal life as described by Paul: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).  Therefore, the life of a Christian is filled with joy regardless of events or circumstances, because we have been justified by faith and our salvation is certain.  This is not something that we have to wait for but it is something that we have already received.  For this reason alone, the life of a Christian will be marked by a length and breadth of joy that cannot be understood by the world.

In addition to joyfulness, the life of Christian will be marked by increasing holiness.  What does this mean?  It means that the life of a Christian, as he or she matures, will be increasingly identified with the life of the Lord Jesus and therefore increasingly look like the life of the Lord Jesus.  The apostle Paul got at the heart of the matter when he wrote:  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).  The process of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” is the process of sanctification – the process by which the Holy Spirit shapes the Christian’s life into a oneness with Christ.

The great 20th century theologian, Oswald Chambers, captured this wonderfully when he assured his readers that “sanctification does not mean anything less than the holiness of Jesus being made mine manifestly,” and “it is his patience, his love, his holiness, his faith, his purity, his godliness, that is manifested in and through every sanctified soul” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest). The Christian life therefore — in Milwaukee and at any time and in any place — is a life that increasingly reflects the holiness of Christ.

It is this concept of increasingly becoming and reflecting the holiness of Christ that mandates that the life of a Christian in a broken city and a hurting world will be marked by radical love.  Martin Luther King, Jr., understood the radical love of Christ when he wrote from Birmingham City Jail, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love – ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you’” (Letter from Birmingham City Jail)?  Dr. King understood that “Jesus love” goes far beyond the usual interpretations and extends as far as loving enemies and blessing those who insult us.  Further evidence of Christ’s radical love is found in Jesus’ tendency to hang out with sinners (Mark 2), his willingness to break social norms and talk to a Samaritan woman (John 4), and his willingness to forgive the very men who were conducting his execution (Luke 23).  And for those who doubt the radical nature of Christ, perhaps it is worth considering his very death – a wicked, lonely, brutal death that he chose out of obedience to the Father and love of mankind.

What sort of actions, then, does radical love display in the life of a Christian?  It will certainly look different from one to another but it will always be radical.  It might be radical in how much one gives to the poor, or where one chooses to live, or how much time and energy one sacrifices for children, or the boldness with which one speaks against the moral depravity of 21st century America.  Certainly, the life of a Christian in our hurting world will look nothing like the pursuit of the American dream, for the American dream is contrary to the holiness of Christ.  Indeed the natural reaction of the world to the radical love of Christ will be to persecute the Christian and view him or her as someone strange and different.  Peter identified this reality in his first epistle when he referred to the friends to whom he was writing as “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11).  The life of a Christian, therefore, is on track and appropriate when he or she completely identifies with Christ and self-describes as an alien and stranger in the world.  This is the natural outcome of the radical love of Christ.

When the life of a Christian is full with a glorious and inexpressible joy, is increasingly holy, and responds to the world with an exhausting, radical Christian love, the Christian life — like the life of Christ himself — will be drawn toward and indeed will depend on times of solitude and prayer.  We note in Christ’s life, how in response to the beheading of John, the feeding of the five thousand, the fear of the disciples, the faithfulness and subsequent faithlessness of Peter, and the healing of the sick, that on more than one occasion, Jesus “went up on a mountainside by himself to pray” (Matthew 14).  So engaged is the Christian worker in the life and activities of Christ, that he or she will, by both desire and need, find himself or herself in regular solitude and prayer.  Just as Jesus needed this time to connect with the Father, so the Christian worker needs this time to connect with Christ and the heavenly Father.  The Christian life is not just praying in church or at bedtime.  The Christian will, in the words of Paul, “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).  Regular times of solitude and prayer will be a mark of the Christian life in the central city.

The Gospels and the books of the New Testament paint a wonderful picture of the life of Christ, the lives of the earliest church workers, and provide a clear road map for modern day Christians.  In a city with so much hurt, so much divisiveness, so much ungodly behavior, it is easy for Christians to retreat to their homes and churches and disengage from the world.  But we must not.  Instead, we stride forward and exhibit the glorious joy that comes through our justification by way of the cross, the holiness that comes through sanctification, the radical, engaging love of Christ, and constant times of prayer and solitude that fill us up and draw us ever closer to oneness with Christ.  This is the life of a Christian in Milwaukee’s central city.

Posted by kyriesellnow
27
Dec
2019

Facing the future with hope

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 20, 2014.

Emily Shank wrote the following message as a devotion project for a theology class with me.  She offers worthy reminders for all people of faith in Christ.

Trusting in God

by Emily Shank

We all have times when we wish we had a crystal ball, something which will show us what our future holds, what the outcomes of certain decisions would be. There are times in our life when we face changes which seem quiet scary, when we are worried about things going wrong. There are also many things in life which are out of our control and make us feel anxious. Yet, the Bible promises us that we can find rest in trusting God. How can that become a reality though? It’s all very easy to say, but how do we manage to make it something we experience as an integral part of our Christian journey?

Uncertainty about our futures can be unsettling.  I struggle when there seems to be a lot of uncertainty in my life. When my future holds a lot of unknowns.  There are many things to be concerned and worried about. When I was younger I think I enjoyed new things and embraced the adventure of change. I wonder what has made me want more consistency in my life? I think it also has something to do with experiencing too much change over the last few years. Being in college you meet new people and possibly change how you present yourself and also change certain ideas about your future.

Trusting God is a fundamental aspect of our faith; we trust God to strengthen us during times of change. Trusting God brings comfort when we are facing situations out of our control which make us feel under pressure or anxious. Trusting God can bring us security, safety and rest.

God gives us his wonderful promise.  “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:  ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Isaiah 30:15).

Look at the words “in quietness and trust is your strength.”  There have been times when panic and stress have been more the emotions that I have felt. So, how do we know rest from trusting God no matter what life may throw at us?

  1. Trusting God comes from knowing him and spending time with him.

Moses said to the Lord:  “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. Consider too, that this nation is your people.”  And the Lord said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest”  (Exodus 33:13-14).

Knowing God and knowing his presence with us through everything we face helps us in trusting him. We cannot know our future; we do not know what the outcome of the decisions we make in life will be; we will face change, trials and uncertainty. Through it all, one thing remains constant – God’s presence going with us.  As we take time to know God and spend time drawing near to his presence, we find it easier to trust him and find rest.

  1. Trusting God comes from understanding our future and hope in him.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We will face hard times in life. There will be pain and difficulty, suffering and trial. However, God has a plan for us. A plan which gives us a future and a hope. We have an amazing promise of knowing our loving, wonderful Father God and above all things we can take joy, comfort and peace from this amazing, blessed relationship. No matter what we face in life we can be assured that we will spend eternity with him and that through the cross and resurrection of Jesus nothing can defeat us.

  1. Trusting God comes from seeking God in His Word, through the counsel of others, and prayer.

God’s Word can provide us with so much comfort, strength and peace. The more we read it the more we understand who God is, his almighty sovereignty and his amazing power. He is faithful, full of love and completely just – our trust in him grows the more we read and understand the wonderful truths contained in His Word.

The support of other Christians also serves to strengthen us when we are struggling with the weight of worry and anxiety. We can grow in strength from their prayers, comfort and words. God’s presence is available to us through the Christians we have to lean on.

Trusting God, we go to him in prayer.  Whatever is worrying us, whatever uncertainty there is in our life, whatever causes us fear can be given to God in prayer. We won’t necessarily know answers but we will know peace and rest, having the knowledge that we can trust in his presence.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, please help to come to you with our daily struggles and to put our doubts and uncertainties to rest. Please help us trust in you completely by staying close to your Word, coming to you in prayer, and going to other Christians for guidance.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Posted by kyriesellnow
26
Dec
2019

The Body of Christ

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on August 15, 2014.

During the summer of 2014, The Electric Gospel featured items written by participants in a summer writing workshop which I led.  This post finished that particular series.  Tracy Siegler urges us to be more open and genuine with one another in our Christian relationships.

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Body-Building

by Tracy Siegler

It is Sunday morning.  In church entryways and fellowship halls around the world, Christians are greeting one another.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning!  How are you?”

“Fine, how are you?”

“I’m good.”

“Do you think that storm they’re talking about is going to hit us?”

“I hope not, we have a picnic to go to this afternoon.”

That’s a pretty typical exchange.  How often do the conversations in your church entryway stay at that level?  Do you ever see people hugging in your fellowship hall?  What about tears?  Is there much exuberant laughter in the lobby of your church?  Do people have a look of earnestness in their eyes as they speak to their brothers and sisters in the Lord?

Our Lord tells us, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor 12:27)  We are the body of Christ?  That sounds a little strange at first, but it’s actually quite a beautiful analogy God uses in his Word to describe how his believers on earth are connected to Jesus and to one another.  Christ is described as the head, and we the members are each a unique and essential part of his figurative body.  “From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph 4:16)  What a wonderful picture!  There is support. There is love.  There is work.  There is connectedness.  All of it is from Christ, our head.

It gets even better!  The head of our body doesn’t just direct and connect.  He also sacrificed.  “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25-27)  Christ really did that for us – even if that’s not the immediate impression we get when we look around in the fellowship area.  We are full of stains of sin and wrinkles of worry and blemishes of bad decisions.  But by his amazing grace, even as we continue to struggle with sin and worry and bad decisions, we are radiant, holy, and blameless in Jesus!  He makes each one of us a perfect, unique, essential part of his body.  With that in mind, our conversations can get a little deeper and more personal.  We might make ourselves a little more vulnerable.  We might get a little more invested.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, how are you?”

“I’m good – just tired.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine – it’s just that yesterday the kids were bickering and fighting all day long. By the time they were finally in bed we were so exhausted and frustrated that we stayed up way too late watching a movie.  I hope I don’t start nodding off during the sermon.”

“Ugh.  We’ve had days like that.  They are exhausting.  Should we sit behind you and poke you in the shoulder from time to time?”

(laughing) “Maybe you should!  Hey, whatever works, right? Anyway, what about you?”

“Doing well.  We are really excited to go to a picnic this afternoon.  Did I tell you about that neighbor of ours who has been going through cancer treatment?”

“You did.  How is he doing?”

“He’s good!  He finished his treatment.  His most recent scans were clear.  The treatment was successful.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!  So many answered prayers…”

“Yup, so this afternoon they are having a picnic to celebrate, and we are planning to go.  I just hope it doesn’t rain…”

Jesus, our head, gives us opportunities to build one another up, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  (Eph 4:13)  As we express genuine interest in our fellow believers, and as we share our own hopes, fears, joys, and struggles in a way that is more intimate than casual, we are building up the body of Christ!

When we talk to each other about how God’s word applies to the intimate details of our lives, the word of Christ dwells in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. (Col 3:16)  Encouraging one another in our lives of faith through the Word, the Holy Spirit works in us.  The body of Christ increases in unity, in knowledge of the Son of God, and in maturity.  Day by day, the body of believers grows closer to attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Together we look forward to the day when we enter into our heavenly fellowship hall, and that process will be complete.

Suggestions for Prayer

… Praise God for his beautiful design for the family of believers.
… Confess times when you have not taken the time or risked the intimacy of investing yourself in your brothers and sisters in Christ.
… Thank Jesus for making you a member of his body, for giving you the other parts of the body for mutual support and encouragement, and for his sacrificing headship.
… Ask the Lord to work within the body of believers so that we grow in unity, knowledge of him, and maturity.

Posted by kyriesellnow
26
Dec
2019

A Cry from the Depth of One’s Heart

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on August 1, 2014.

During the summer of 2014, The Electric Gospel featured items written by participants in a summer writing workshop. In this post, Carl Heling shares with us a prayer from his heart, leaning on God in the midst of frustrations with life.  His lament echoes what psalmists have cried — and what our own hearts often feel.

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A Prayer, a Lament – From my Heart to God

by Carl Heling

O Lord, God, maker and preserver of all things, hear me as I come to you. Listen to my cry.  As I sit here pondering on my life, I realize time and again how wretched and lowly and poor a human being I am.  Surely, I do not deserve the gracious blessings you have given to me nor to be called your child, but you still do so continually.  Oh, how my heart can’t fathom your love!

As I lie here, I feel lost in a world of chaos and uncertainty.  Every day I labor and toil long hours to make a dollar, pay the bills, help the family, go to school, and give to church.  I do so with my best effort, knowing that it is my duty to do so as a citizen and member of the family and because that is what you desire from your children.  Yet I am unhappy, full of grief and pain.  I am disappointed and uncomfortable with myself and my doings.  Things never seem right or good enough.  I could have done this better.  I should have done that better.  O Lord, my heart is plagued and overrun with grief and pain on account of the sins and failures I commit every day of my life!

As I sit here, Lord, every day feels so futile.  I feel lost and powerless in this large world of chaos.  I don’t know how I am to best serve you with the unique talents and abilities that you have given to me. “Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:1).  I am filled with urgent desire for knowing your Word, and yet despite that still find myself feeling as if everything I do is useless and fruitless.  And so I am filled with grief and sorrow.  Along with this, I feel sorrow on account of always feeling grief and sorrow!  I sorrow for the things I should or could have done better.  I grieve over all the sins and failures I have done in my everyday tasks.  And I sorrow and grieve about how much I sorrow and grieve.

Oh, how I long to be with you and with all the saints in heaven!  Heal this broken and plagued heart and mind of mine, Lord.  Invigorate my mind, body, and spirit with your strength and grace.  Forgive me of all my sins and failures and lead me to do better.  Ultimately, give me true, godly wisdom and understanding, as well as a steadfast and true heart set on your ways and your heart.

This is my cry, O Lord.  In your mercy in Jesus, hear me.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2     Lord, hear my voice.
  Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

(Psalm 130)

Posted by kyriesellnow
24
Dec
2019

Can you be thankful if your turkey is skinny?

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on November 22, 2018.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I dug out a message I had written for church use some years ago.  I needed to remind myself to be thankful even when material circumstances aren’t ideal.  As the Word of God urges, “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
May you find blessing this Thanksgiving.

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Can you be thankful if your turkey is skinny?

by David Sellnow

At your house on Thanksgiving Day, when it’s time to have a prayer before the meal, is there somebody who blurts out, “Praise the Lord and pass the butter”?  It’s just a silly comment made in fun, but it points to an attitude we all fall into quite often:  Praise the Lord (a little) and pass the butter (a lot).  We’re in a hurry to get done with spiritual things so we can get on to other things that we think of as more enjoyable.  Praise the Lord a little, then let’s get on with lunch, or football, or shopping, or movies, or whatever.  At our Thanksgiving meals, what gets more attention and conversation—the spiritual blessings of the past year, or just how good all the foods taste?

We are people who easily focus on our bellies.  We hunger for extra helpings.  We have an appetite for pleasures and possessions.   Our Thanksgiving celebrations tend to flow in that direction too.  We notice material goods that God bestows—sufficient income, paid-up bills, bodily health, absence of pain, etc.  We’re glad and thankful when there is a big fat turkey on our table.

But what if there isn’t?  Can you be thankful if your turkey is skinny?   Can you be grateful if good things seem few and far between?  Can you still have Thanksgiving if your income is dwindling and bills are increasing, if your health is poor and pain level high?  Can you be thankful even where there’s not much in the freezer and the cupboards are almost bare?

To consider such questions, let’s give our attention to Hebrews chapter 12.  We’ll pay particular attention to the key verse at the end of the chapter (verse 28).  But let’s walk through the beginning of the chapter first, to see the overall inspired train of thought.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (World English Bible) …

Let’s lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.

  • The first answer to the question, “Can you be thankful if your turkey is skinny?” is: Yes, if you’re looking at what’s truly important.  What’s important in life is not how much comfort or luxury we have in our present life.  Eyes of faith are fixed on Jesus and on heaven.  If we keep looking ahead, in Christ, to our ultimate goal, we can find reason to be thankful even during times when we suffer miserably.  Look at the great number of prophets and apostles who lived their lives that way.  Look at Jesus himself!  He suffered horrors beyond our imagination, but was willing to endure all because he knew the outcome was eternal life—not just for himself, but for all of us with him.  We are his pride and joy, the reason he endured such suffering.  Surely we can endure pain and hardship for the sake of Jesus, who is our pride and joy.

Hebrews 12:4-13 …

You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin. You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children: “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord,

nor faint when you are reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.  All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  Therefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

  • Can you be thankful if your turkey is skinny?  Yes, if you value healthy discipline. Facing hardship and enduring pain is not a bad thing.  We may feel bad in our bodies, but suffering is enormously good for our souls.  In good times we are too apt to forget about God, our Maker and Preserver who gives us all good things.  In tough times especially, we realize that we are dependent on God and call out to him for our needs.  God often uses physical losses to do us spiritual good.  We give thanks when we suffer, knowing God is using the suffering to train our spirits, disciplining us as his children so that we don’t get so caught up in the wants of this world, but rather see the greater value of spiritual things.

Now let’s jump ahead to the powerful concluding verses of the chapter –

Hebrews 12:28-29 …

Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

  • Whether your turkey is fat or skinny, it doesn’t matter. Simply “say grace” and give thanks in every moment, just as we do as we sit down to a meal.  Offer prayers and continue to serve the Lord.  Worship the God who made you, who saved you, who gives you a place in his eternal kingdom.  Worship him with your whole life.  Appreciate and praise what he’s doing each day.  Don’t ever become complacent about your spiritual life or your thanks to the Lord.  Remember, God is a consuming fire whose glory we will be glad to see, but who can also burn us in a moment if we push him out of our hearts and lives.  Hold onto the grace that God has given you in Jesus.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.  Follow the pattern of the great cloud of witnesses of the faith, the heroes of the Bible who lived by faith (who were described in Hebrews chapter 11).  As it was for them, so it is for us:  The righteous live by faith, and we give thanks to the God who has given us that faith.

So praise the Lord and pass the butter as you celebrate Thanksgiving.   Even if you don’t have much beyond bread and butter to pass, even if your turkey is skinny, God be praised.  He is our eternal Redeemer.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Waiting on God

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on October 13, 2016.

Waiting on God

by Cassey Davis

Imagine this. The sky is jet black, the wolves are howling, and the air is crisp. As you climb high into your deer stand, you shiver from the bone chilling breeze. Finally, you are all situated and ready for dawn to break. Once the sun rises and thaws your frozen fingers and toes, you gaze at the glowing forest around you and sit in awe of the beauty and wonder God has created. Yet, when the morning sun begins to fade and the dew begins to melt away, waiting becomes incredibly hard. Your mind begins to wander to the sounds around you; every crack of a stick makes your heart race until a squirrel jumps around the corner. Indeed, waiting for the prize trophy deer to saunter in front of your stand is no easy task.

While waiting for a deer to come by your stand proves to be a test of your patience, waiting on God’s timing can prove to be even more difficult. All too often we rely upon ourselves, instead of God, to answer our prayers of desperation … such as yearning for a loved one to be healed of a terminal illness or for a beloved soldier to return from a deployment. Yet, when we struggle to rely upon God to come to our aid, are we forgetting who created us in his own image? Who loved us so much he sent his one and only Son to die for the entire world? So therefore, why do we struggle so much with waiting for God’s timing instead of our own? The answer is sin–the dirty, rotten, filthy sin we daily fight through but is washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Daily we struggle with waiting on earthly things, such as waiting in traffic or waiting for an important phone call.  But everything we wait for here on this earth with someday soon be forgotten in the blissfulness of heaven.

The Holy Spirit, who burns a fire within us, leads our hearts to rely upon God’s timing instead of our own, reminding us: “If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:25). Being patient can seem an impossible task; yet if we place our confidence in Christ, he will surely give us the desires of our heart, according to his timing. So, when you are waiting–maybe not so patiently–remember God’s timing is perfect.  He will answer as he sees fit so answer you, and he will do so when the timing is just right.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we often become fidgety and impatient when it seems like we’ve been waiting awhile. Remind us that your timing is perfect and that you will provide for us when the timing is right. Guide us, Lord, as we struggle with being patient in our daily lives. Turn our hearts and minds back to your Word, where you teach us that when we hope for something, you give is to us when and if you see fit. Grant us patience, oh Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

God hears your prayers — even those that aren’t expressed in words

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on March 31, 2016

Sometimes in classes I taught, a little assignment that expects a brief response (such as an online discussion) yielded deep and thoughtful responses from some persons.  The thoughts shared below happened like that.  Lizzie Kogler offered some heartfelt musings about the prayers of our hearts.

Thoughts concerning prayer

by Lizzie Kogler

Think back to a time when everything in your life seemed to be going completely wrong.  You lay awake at night thinking about how full your plate was, but how empty your stomach was, or about how many duties and obligations you had, but how little energy you had. When there was nowhere left to turn, did you close your eyes and pray?

For me, this is the kind of pray-er I have become. I have become someone who keeps trudging through the muddy streets of life, gradually slowing down, until I fall face-first into the stinky goo. Then and only then are my prayers passionate, a pleading cry for help.

Do you ever fall into this same trap of holding out until prayer is your last resort? It’s not like I think that God isn’t powerful enough or present enough to save me. It is more my sinful nature of wanting to think that I by myself am enough to get through life. And then, time and time again, I fall down on my knees looking upwards toward the cross, still stained in red.

So this leads me to a question concerning prayer.

In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther wrote, “Let people learn to value prayer as something great and precious and to make a proper distinction between babbling and praying for something.”  I don’t disagree with Luther … but I also wonder.  Are there ever times that our babbling (or what might seem like babbling) indeed is prayer?

Certainly there is a difference between mere babbling and true prayer.  According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “Babbling is talking rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way” … whereas prayer was defined by Jesus this way:  “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others … But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen … And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5-8).

Are there times where we are foolish, excited, or hard to understand? Absolutely, we are human. But this does not mean that we should not come to the Lord in prayer, for fear of the sin of babbling. Jesus encourages us to cast all our anxieties on him, because he cares for us (cf. 1 Peter 5:7).  This means coming to Jesus with an open heart, ready to hear his forgiveness, peace, and comfort.

I will admit that sometimes I am afraid to pray. I am not worried about whether God is going to give me or not give me what I am asking for. I do not feel nervous about his plan for my life. It is more that I feel guilty for not praying as much as I could or should.  But then I remind myself that God is gracious and hears my prayers.   He hears your prayers too – even those that aren’t fully or perfectly formed into clear words.

Passages for prayerful encouragement:

In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.   From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
Psalm 18:6

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 
Hebrews 4:16

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:26

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Welcoming Jesus’ return

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on May 22, 2015.

Jesus is coming back … Are you ready?

by Allison Wessel

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, in the seventh petition we ask God to deliver us from evil.  The Small Catechism explains that in this petition, we are asking God to deliver us not only from the evils of this world, but also to take us to heaven.  In part, it’s a prayer asking for the end of this world to arrive.

So are you ready to exit this world?  Are you ready to leave behind the old familiar and enter the new and unfamiliar?  As you pray the Lord’s Prayer, do you ever catch yourself thinking: “Quickly come, Lord Jesus, but, please wait until after I graduate from college,” or, “Quickly come, but please, Lord, let me get married first.”  If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we are tempted to place a greater value on the priorities of this world than on the perfect treasures of heaven.  We find ourselves yearning to have all of the great experiences that this world has to offer.  We think, “There are so many things I have yet to experience in this life, Lord.  Could you hold off your second coming just a little longer?”

As human beings, we struggle with the tension between time and eternity.  We sometimes feel that life is good, because it’s all we know.  We get caught up in all the good things of this life, and we forget that we have something much greater coming to us.  Or, when our faith is weak, we may even fear the coming of the Lord, fearing things that feel unknowable.  We will live forever – how can that be possible?  Our human logic can’t comprehend eternity, so, naturally, the thought of living forever may scare us.

Allow me to offer an odd analogy.

If you’re familiar with the storyline of the movie, The Matrix, you know that the basic plot is that—some two hundred years into the future—all humanity is enslaved by robots.  The machines use the electricity produced by human bodies to create energy, since air pollution has gotten so bad that the sun’s rays are obscured from the earth’s view.  To enable the robots to use the humans without causing them to rise up against them, they create a false reality into which the humans have been “plugged.”  Those humans who are plugged into the matrix see and live in the world as they know it, which is only an illusion.  They lead a false life, and it’s only after they’ve been unplugged that they can know what the world is really like.

I use this analogy not only to show how much of a sci-fi geek I am, but to make a connection with life on this earth.  This earth’s life can be compared to life in the matrix, where everything we see and know is only a shadow or illusion.  The reality of a perfect life can only be known beyond the grave.  This analogy is flawed, I realize, because those of you who know The Matrix know that, once unplugged, the real world is horribly drearier and the living situation much worse than in the glamorous false world of the matrix.  But the point is that everything tangible in this life doesn’t last forever.  Sometimes, weakened in our faith, that great fear of the unknown will lead us to cling to the things of this life.  In The Matrix, even Neo, who is the savior-character, is reluctant to respond to the call he receives from the real world, urging him to come to grips with reality and wake up.  At first, he wants to go on living as he always has, in the world with which he is most familiar and most comfortable.  He would rather remain ignorant and blind to the truth.  But it’s after he’s been unpleasantly thrust into the real world that he discovers his full potential and becomes The One, the person destined to save the remnant of humans left on earth from the robots.  Again the analogy is flawed, but in a similar way, we are not really of this world and can’t possibly know all that we will become in our true home in heaven.  The Bible says that God “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21).  Who knows what that entails?  But it can only mean good, of course.  The apostle John assured us, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

We can’t begin to comprehend the wonders and the treasures that God has in store for us.  But we do know that the Lord’s coming will not be a day on which to tremble in fear, or a day that we wish would hold off for a little while longer.  The day of the Lord’s coming will be a day on which to rejoice, a day leading to something better than anything we have here on earth.  Isn’t that what being a Christian is all about, after all?  Our short, little lives on this earth are merely a prelude to the life of perfect bliss that awaits us in heaven.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Posted by Electric Gospel