Elbow Prints....

One of the aspects of prayer that we have not discussed yet is intercessory prayer. You may ask, what is intercessory prayer? It’s simply praying on the behalf of others. We pray this type of prayer all of the time: A friend who is in need, A child who has chosen the wrong path, A family member who is sick, on and on. But all to often, in many of our lives, this type of prayer can very easily turn into a grocery list of people and needs that we are lifting up to God with no real fervor or passion. “Bless Aunt Sally.” “Be with Uncle Jim in Surgery.” “Protect Billy…” Yet when we look at this type of prayer in scripture, this isn’t the case.

Take a moment and find a bible …………………….open it to Exodus 17:8-13………and read the account that takes place.

While Joshua was out fighting the battle, what was Moses doing? Praying!! Was he just praying “Lord, Protect Joshua…”? NO, he went to the top of the hill and raised his hands in prayer over the battle. While Joshua was engaging in the physical combat, Moses engaged in the spiritual combat. Evidently Moses is the one who had the harder task, for he was the one who was left tired. This is not the only example; Abraham intercedes for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18) Moses intercedes for the people of Israel (Ex 32), and the list goes on. Read the accounts….. they were fired up!!

In the NT we are assured that Christ intercedes for us. In Romans 8:34 we read, “Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Do you think that when Jesus is standing before the Father he is saying, “Oh yea, by the way, don’t forget Jim down there with his surgery today.” NO WAY!!

In the Greek, the word for intercede is “entunchano” which literally means to plead, to appeal. It has a sense of passion that goes along with the prayer. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore he [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede (or to plead / to appeal) for them.” Do you see the power in this? He lives for this!!! Henry Nouwen writes, “When we come before God with the needs of the world, then the healing love of God which touches us touches all those whom we bring before him with the same power.” Just was Jesus is before the Father pleading on our behalf, we have the power to plead on the behalf of others that God would work in their lives. This is not a list of people to run through on any given day but people whose lives can be changed by the power of YOUR prayer. You do not need any special credentials to do this. You do not need the title of Reverend or Pastor or Father to come before God with this type of power. It is open to all. I am half-tempted to remove the words “Pastoral Prayer” from the bulletin at Salem and change it to “Everyone’s Prayer” because that’s what it is. It is Everyone’s Prayer. It is everyone who comes before God with the names of those whom we wish to bring forth. “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant.” (Daniel 9:17)

What is your prayer on the behalf of others like? Is it simply a list to go through or is it something in which you are passionately engaged with? Is that an indicator of your heart? Remember what we said before, all too often we see prayer as a last resort rather than our first place to run. When intercession is a list are we subconsciously saying “Well….I don’t what will happen but it can’t hurt to pray”? Whereas, when we plead before God is it as saying “I know you are there, God. I still do not know what will happen but I know you are in it and you will handle the situation according to your will.”

Beth Moore tells a story about Joy and Mike, two parents who have a very headstrong teenage son. One evening they forbade him to go out with his rebellious friends but he walked out the door anyway. Joy and Mike were heartbroken.

The next day the son angrily asked his mother, “Have you been praying for me again?” She said, “Son, I always pray for you…..but how did you know?” He responded, “Because there were elbow prints on my bedspread!”

Joy’s elbow prints were a result of her passion as she knelt by his bed and begged for an end to his rebellion. Does your prayer life for others have elbow prints? If not, today is the best day to make a pair.

In His Grip
Kevin

A Direct Line.....

In the world of business you can often tell how important someone is by finding out how many people you have to “go through”, in order to speak with them. You telephone, hoping for a word with the chairman of the company. So you get the front desk, who puts you through to the main office suite. You get the person at the front of that. She or he puts you through to a secretary. They put you through (if your lucky) to the Great Man’s Personal Assistant and that’s probably it for the day. The Great Man is busy…….or he is in a meetinig……or he’s playing golf…….or taking a nap. Three, four or five people to charm your way around, and you still can’t get the man.

The ancient world was often like that as well. If you came from the country and hoped to see the king or queen, you wouldn’t just walk straight into the royal palace. You would meet a sentry at the gate. Then, if you were allowed past, you would be handed over to a junior official….then a senior official…….an so on. Probably never getting near the royalty.

But it isn’t like that in the kingdom of God.

The followers of Jesus Christ have instant, immediate, direct and valued access into the very presence of the living God. God has an open door policy with those who live in Him and the way through that door is prayer.

But many times we stand at the entrance to that door, not quite sure how to go through.

We know that we want to pray ……..but somethings holds us back

We know that we should pray ………but we are hesitant to do so

……..but we don’t know how

……..but we don’t know what to say

…….and the list goes on

These are barriers that WE place in the doorway of prayer -- the door is open and clear from God’s standpoint – these are barriers that we place there. They inhibit our connection with God. They dampen our conversations with Him. It does not matter if you are new to the faith or have been walking with the Lord for many years, for many of us, there are obstacles that exist in prayer. Last week we talked about centering prayer and using silence and focus on God to bring us into communion with Him. This week I want to take that to the next step and give you a format of prayer that will help to facilitate your conversation with God.

Now, please don’t get the wrong impression when I say “format” to prayer. God accepts our prayers just as we offer them. “In the same way that a small child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.” But in suggesting this format I hope it expands your growing love relationship with Christ through elements of prayer and eliminate many of the obstacles that stand in the way of the door.

The format that I want to pass along to you is -- ACTS

A - Adoration

C - Confession

T - Thanksgiving

S - Supplication

If some of the obstacles that I described above exist in your life of prayer then consider following this format the next time you spend time with the Lord.

Adoration

To adore God is to appreciate God in our mind and in our heart and to tell Him so with our lips. This is simply taking a moment to praise Him for who He is. He is deserving of your praise. For example, “Father, thank you for who you are. I praise you for what you have created. To see your greatness causes my heart to be filled with joy.”

Adoration is all throughout scripture, just talk a walk through the Psalms.

“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

“I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” – Psalm 9:2

“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” – Psalm 63:2

Confession

An integral part of our time with God is confessing of the places in life where we have stumbled. Our sin is what seperates us from God but confessing those sins in prayer is what clears the way for a deeper relationship with Him. Maybe you ask, why do I need to confess my sin…..God is all knowing….he already knows of my sin. Why do I need to say it? Yes, God is all knowing and He does know of the sin you have committed. But in confession we are recognizing our own awarenesss that we have fallen and we are telling God we seek His forgiveness in the matter. It does not matter if we think it is “no big deal” or “just a little sin” we are not in the position to determine what sin is small and what sin is big, that is God’s job to judge. To us sin is sin, whether it’s a little white lie , gossip, or an extended adulterous relationship……………and we must confess it to God.

“God I have sinned against you by ____________________. Father I know this is seperating me from you and I want to confess it to you. Please forgive me. Please wipe this from my life and give me the strength to change my ways.

Psalm 51 is an excellent example of confession.

Thanksgiving

What has God done in your life? Where have you seen His hand at work in your life? What are you thankful for? Take a moment in your time of prayer to simply give thanks for what He has done. Just as you tell others Thank You for what they have done ….. tell God Thank You for what He has done.

“Father, Thank You, for what you have done in my life. Thank You for my health, my family, what you have provided. Thank You for wanting to have a relationship with me and for sending your Son to die so that the sins that I have committed are washed clean. Thank You!!!!”

Look at the opening to just about all of Paul’s letters…..nearly all of the start with the words “I thank God…”

Supplication

Supplication? What in the world is supplication? The dictionary defines suppication as “to ask for humbly or earnestly, to petition”. This is where you submit requests to God. Maybe there are things you are asking for in your personal life that you desire God’s intervention in. “God I need your direction in this aspect of my life.” “Lord, help me to be a better man.” Or even, “God we have a serious financial need this week, I know you will provide.” Maybe it’s lifting up a famiy member or friend…..health concerns…..whatever it may be….supplication is lifting your requests to God.

Matthew 21:22 assures us, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

If you have things that are blocking the door of prayer try this way to pray. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication (ACTS).

REMEMBER----- Its not about the method or the format but about the conversation with God.

As we deepen in this conversation our relationship and love for God grows with it. We pass from thinking of god as part of our life to the realization that we are part of his life. Through this, God moves from the periphery of our life to the center of it.

In His Grip

Kevin

How's Your Prayer Life?

Has anyone ever asked you, “How’s your prayer life?” If so, how did you answer them? If no one has asked you, let me ask you now…..

How’s your prayer life?

Many Christians have a difficult time in discussing their prayer life. Whether it be the cultural attitude that prayer is private, our inability to comprehend it, or whatever……… we tend not to talk about it. I think the biggest reason that we do not talk about our prayer life is because of the gap that exists in what could be and what is.

We know what could be. We have seen the impact that God has had on the lives of others. We read about the great theologians and hear stories of the powerful prayer warriors of yesterday and today and we see how God has transformed them through prayer. Yet when we look at ourselves a prayer life like that is far beyond our reach. We have not experienced anything like that so we would rather not bring up the subject. We do this with many other things….name it. Whether it is sports, academics or even cooking…….if we feel totally outdrawn by others we do not talk about it. I guess it’s our nature.

But this is the exact opposite approach that we should be taking in prayer. Henri Nouwen says, “The more we pray…the more we desire to pray. The desire to spend time with God and God alone is always growing. It creates in us a desire to be with the Lord whom we have seen shining through people and events….” Our desire to pray creates in us a deeper desire to pray. When this occurs our answer to the question “How is your prayer life?” changes. No longer is it avoidance or the giving of a mediocre response but one of “Let me tell you of the transformation that God has done.”

That’s the purpose of this study. To get you deeper into prayer through practical application

The goal is not to load you up with more information on prayer…..the last thing we need is to fill our heads with more information. We Need Action!!!! We need to do something with the information that we already have. Therefore, each week in this study there will be some insight into the depths of prayer but there will also be a style of prayer for you to try. Some of them will be helpful and you may incorperate them into your regular life of prayer……….others may not be that effective. That’s OK….don’t get discouraged. What works for you may not be the way that brings me into communion with God and vice versa. However, the overall effort is to draw you into a deeper life of prayer, regardless of where you are in your walk. Remember the quote from above, the more we pray the more we desire to pray. If you are a new-Christian or have been walking with the Lord for 50 years…….the purpose is the same……to pray.

With this, our focus this week is on centering prayer. Others call this meditative prayer, praying the scripture or simple prayer but the main concept still remains……….Centering prayer does not come from our mind, our knowledge, our throughts or any of the such. Centering prayer comes from the heart.

Centering prayer is not something new. Nor is it a New Age thing. It is an ancient form of prayer that joins mediatation on a word of Scripture with prayer. This prayer may seem mysterious to some because it depends so little on words. We do not give God information about all our needs, projects, ideas, programs, plans and agendas. We don’t suggest things we would like him to do. We simply sit in the presence of God and give him our undivided love and attention starting with His word.

Method

1. Set aside 15 minutes (Set a timer so you don’t have to worry about the time) and settle into a comfortable position.

2. Remove as many distractions as possible…and come to the Lord quiety. Turn your heart to His presence

3. Find a scripture that you enjoy…..a Psalm, words of Jesus in the Gospels…..whatever.

Begin reading the scripture that you have chosen…SLOWLY!!! A word or phrase at a time…..intentionally pausing between and allowing the words to penetrate your heart. Your purpose in this is not to gain some understanding of the text, rather, you are reading in order to turn your mind from outward things to the deep parts of your being. You are not there to learn or read….you are there to experience the presence of God.

4. Once you begin to focus on God and feel His presence……stop reading….let the Lord will meet you there

You will sense the presence of God there with you….no longer are you concerned with the words that you have read but now you are occupied only with God

5. If your mind begins to drift simply read another word or phrase to return to God

As the Spirit begins to move within you and your heart begins to warm imagine the hot coals of a fire there within you. The Hebrew word for Spirit is ruach which means wind or breath. As the wind of the Spirit blows across the coals within you it beings forth, a flame …. A fire…….a passion for God within you just as a flame emerges as we blow on the hot coals of a campfire.

6. Rest in the presence of this. Sense any movement, direction or guidance that He may be leading you in.

7. Continue this process….reading….listening…..resting…..until you no longer sense the movement of the Spirit or you are out of time.

8. Consider starting a journal to describe how God met you on that particular day.

Take time this week to try this form of prayer and reflect on these questions:

- Is not expressing my desires, wants and needs difficult in coming to prayer?

- Is it difficult to remove the distractions from life to focus on God?

- Did God meet you here?

- What happened inside you when you were quiet with God?

Throughout the week log-on to share any thoughts, ideas, comments or insight as to how this form of prayer has impacted your life. I pray that God will meet you there..

I His Grip….

Kevin