by Elizabeth | Sep 29, 2010 | Learning Story
When I first became a Christian at 15, I prayed for everything. I remember specifically seeing Jesus sitting next to me during an Algebra II test and asking him if he would help me with the answer to number 22. My mother teased me for praying for parking spaces, and I think eventually began to pray for them herself. Now I will stop in the middle of a conversation with one of my kids and just ask God for whatever it is they are needing in a tough situation they are describing — help understanding environmental science, wisdom for a conflict, a parking space at the Auburn library during exam week…Is it wrong to pray for the little needs in life? Is that just selfish?
I was encouraged by Paul Miller’s encouragement that to become like a little child is to tell God about everything. He writes about a spiritual writer who said it was selfish to pray for trivial things. He told his mom, Rose-Marie Miller, the 82 year-old missionary about this point, and she responded, “Well, how else would you find a parking spot?” This woman, as a missionary her whole life, had learned she was utterly dependent on God for everything. As we have said before, the answer may be “no,” but to ask is to show that you truly believe God is a personal God who supplies our daily needs. Read what Rose-Marie wrote in her journal when she and her husband were doing missions work in post-Idi-Amin rule in Uganda:
Words simply fail to express the almost total chaos of a country after eight years of a brutal civil war. When we use the bathroom, if we are fortunate, the toilet will flush — if not you get the fire hose from the end of the hall — if you are too late, then you find others have used it before you — so you learn to pray for water.If it comes on in the middle of the night, you fill the tub so you can wash in the morning…
You pass a building bombed out. You pass through dirty streets praying as you go that no one will take your wallet.
You meet some Asians in a hotel. They are very interested in your weaving project so they say, “We will help with the material but we don’t have transportation,” so again you pray.
The temptation to be aware of self and its utter limitations is strong. There are times when I pray, “Lord, I can’t go through the day.” in Paul Miller, A Praying Life
[Remember the seminar at West End church in Nashville Oct. 29-30 or read the book for sure!]
The point is to see how desperate and dependent we are on the Lord and Giver of Life for every moment of our day. Try it today. Pay attention and pray for all sorts of things. Let me know if it makes you feel more selfish or more aware of the futility of your self-reliance:)!
by Elizabeth | Sep 26, 2010 | Learning Story
What difference does prayer make?
Why pray if God knows everything?
Last week’s sermon by Pastor Scotty Smith at Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN, addressed some of our deepest questions on prayer. Today I’ll just address one.
Pastor Scotty was pretty passionate about the subject, and as I began giving attention and intention to every little prayer, I saw why.
He said, and I quote, “If I see one more book on Amazon on ‘how to get God to answer your prayers, I think I will vomit.” I should mention the context. He was expressing his frustration at this idea that we somehow manipulate God through our prayers and get God to do what we want. Prayer is NOT about manipulation; it is about knowing the heart of God!
Here’s the good news/bad news Pastor Scotty preached:
GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS.
HE DOESN’T ALWAYS ANSWER THEM THE WAY WE WANT.
Thinking about this one concept changed the way I prayed. A silly example will illustrate how constant communication with God affects our understanding of who He is. Last week, when my dogs got out of the house and bolted toward Scenic Highway at 5 in the afternoon, I asked God to bring them back. When they didn’t return immediately, I went out in the car to look for them. I didn’t find them. I suddenly realized I had left the charcoal starter for the grill lit, and my house might burn down. I needed to go home. I prayed with conviction, “God, please bring my dogs home, NOW please.”
I could pray with conviction NOT because I knew He would do what I wanted, but because I knew He would, will, does answer prayers. He might say ‘no’ and then I would pray for more patience and less fear. But I was a desperate woman, home alone, with a fire that needed tending and dogs that needed hunting.
I know you’re not going to believe this, but when I came back in from tending the fire, my dogs were at my back door.
Here’s another thing about prayer for another day:
When we pray intentionally, we learn something about the heart of the LORD who answers prayers.
What do you think? How have you seen God answer prayers – yes, no, maybe, yes, but not the way you thought, no but better than you dreamed…wait – a really long, hard, painful wait…
Share your stories!
by Elizabeth | Sep 25, 2010 | Learning Story
Here’s a quick read to send you off to a stunning Saturday. Oh, Lord, show us the wonder of your world everywhere today. Let us say “Do it again” with passion!
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
— G.K. Chesterton
by Elizabeth | Sep 24, 2010 | Learning Story
Whew. Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind as I visited my shoulder doc in Columbus to hear his conclusions about my left shoulder, my “good” shoulder. Determined to use waiting time productively, I tried to type my post on my Droid as I waited to be called for pre-op labwork (my good doc thinks surgery, not WAITING, will be the best way to repair the tear and tendinosis in my shoulder and bicep.)
For whatever reason, that post never went live, which is probably a good thing because who knows what words the Droid substituted for my well-meant ones?:)
Here’s what I want to say about my confusion about “waiting.”
I have always happily sung along with the song, Everlasting God, which repeats the title sentence. I imagined myself as waiting for some good result to come (my shoulder to be repaired) and strength rising as I sat patiently waiting.
This week it occurred to me that there is another kind of waiting we must do if we are servants to the King (see Sept. 22). We “wait upon” him. We come before him daily, hourly, often, to ask what his kingdom business is. Sometimes waiting involves doing; many times it involves doing nothing.
Here’s a small silly example from yesterday. By the afternoon, I was getting a little grumpy, having arisen at 2:30 Central time. I had plenty of time as I waited in the pre-op appointment area to start a quite festive pity party. But then someone came along and lifted my sagging head, gently, by the chin, so I could see the people around me. (I’m pretty sure that was the Holy Spirit.)
A very frail looking elderly woman in a wheelchair. Her frazzled looking daughter pushing her. A happy-looking child in a wheelchair. A furious-looking athletic young man.
Then the nurse came. I saw her frown from across the room and I feared to approach. I steeled myself to just get through it.
A few minutes later, after a couple of unpleasant interactions,
God said, “Be nice to that ornery nurse who wants to take your blood.”
“But God…she’s mean. She didn’t crack a smile at my joke and she ordered me to pee in a cup.”
“Look into her eyes. See how tired she is.” “I’m tired too.”
“I know you’re tired too. Why don’t you rest in me and smile at her?”
Here’s what I recgognized in that small moment. I was thinking yesterday about being a servant, about “waiting on the Lord.” I was also quite ready to serve myself and steel myself to get through the hard stuff. Instead the Spirit awakened me to the Lord’s plans, His story so much bigger than my own small one. As I “waited” upon him, I had to “wait” upon him to receive the power, love, and strength to serve this woman, who did, by the way, soften. She smiled at me. She told me about taking her mom up to Atlanta for medical care and commiserated that it is hard to travel for care. She gave me her “personal” phone number (at her desk:) in case I had any questions. Honestly, all I did was smile and look at her.
Because I waited upon the Lord. And boy did he show up.
by Elizabeth | Sep 22, 2010 | Learning Story
“James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ…” James 1:1
I just began a study of James. Usually, I confess, I breeze right by the opening phrase, headed straight to the “meat” of “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you experience various trials…,” one of the staples of my youth.
So I was surprised to find this question in the Bible study (Tim Keller’s):
James identifies himself as first and foremost “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What attitudes and behaviors characterize a servant?
Oh, man, I wish he hadn’t asked that. Even though yesterday I wrote about the importance of knowing who you are and where you are going each day of your life. Being dutiful, I wrote an answer:
“You own me God. I have nothing. Everything is yours. I surrender my agenda to yours. In fact, I don’t even have an agenda.”
I think it was a decent answer, though Type A personality that I am, I am going to revise the second part and say “It’s okay to have a plan, but I am willing to let you hijack it.”
The fact is, I didn’t like that answer though I thought it would have gotten at least a B on one of Mr. Yacoubian’s Bible exams if I had used more flowery language. So I really didn’t like the next question:
2. What fears and concerns arise in your heart when you consider God’s call to be a servant?
Again, I wrote honestly. Straight from the heart:
I’m afraid He’ll actually ask me to follow His plan for my life. And I won’t like it. Well, it’s not that I won’t like it, but I will have to go into unknown territories that I am afraid to move into, and that will cause me all sorts of discomfort, some personal — not being liked or understood, some physical — having to have another shoulder surgery, and some emotional — trials coming to my family.
Of course that answer was a FAIL. And yet, it led to good news. It showed me how self-centered I am — I answer the question, “I AM QUEEN OF MY UNIVERSE” — without the divine interruption of the transforming work of Christ. I am a servant of the King, and He is drawing me into some really wild stories. And those will take me to the next question, on verse 2: “Consider it all joy my brothers and sisters when you encounter various trials…”
But that’s enough for today. I am a beloved daughter of the King, and I’ve got some things to do.
by Elizabeth | Sep 21, 2010 | Learning Story
I’ve trained four children to drive. They get their permit when they’re 15 and drive as often as possible. (I am committed to working my way from chauffeur-ING to chauffeur-ED!)
Sometimes, before they turn the ignition key, I ask them, “Do you know where you are going?” I want them to think about the more than the endpoint; I want them to know how they’re going to get there.
It’s an important question. For Christians, we should be asking, “Who am I, and where am I going? regularly.” .
I used to work at a “Pioneer” camp — no electricity, no running water, lots of quiet in the morning. Our morning often began with one of the counselors shouting out words we had to repeat after him — “I AM…!” (“I AM…!”) — “A CHILD” (“A CHILD!”) — “OF THE KING!!!” (“OF THE KING”). The words centered us in who we were, and they called us to live in a mission — to do that day what the King called us to do.
That is a need I have not outgrown. Today, before I go anywhere — from the kitchen to the living room, from the house to the school, I’m going to stop and ask, “Who am I? And where am I going?” And I hope I will remember.
What sparked this blog was an email forward, a great story about Billy Graham. Here it is:
“Billy Graham is now 91 years old. In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson’s disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, ‘We don’t expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.’ So he agreed.
“After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, ‘I’m reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.
“‘The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. The conductor rushed back and said, “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.” Einstein looked at him and said, ‘Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”
“Having said that Billy Graham continued, ‘See the suit I’m wearing? It’s a brand new suit. My children and my grandchildren are telling me I’ve gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I’ll be buried. But when you hear I’m dead, I don’t want you to immediately remember the suit I’m wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I’m going.’” (Original source unknown)
