Category Archives: prayer
Read with Me Check-In
Before I ask about checked boxes, I would like to ask for your prayers. My uncle died yesterday. There are some unusual circumstances due to his beliefs and the past, and I don’t want to get into those details. I only want say that we would greatly appreciate prayer, especially for my mom and my uncle’s family. Thanks.
Wow. It’s almost the Ides of March. This year is flying, isn’t it? We’ve traded our snow storms for rain showers. I can hardly wait for those first tulips to pop through the ground.
So, how is everyone doing? I am very excited to say that I am almost caught up in the New Testament! I’ve been trying to read at least two assignments each day so that I can get back on track. I’m feeling good. I’m still behind, but I’m confident in my progress.
How about you? Tell me how it’s going, what you’re learning and any tricks you have for reading consistency.
If you aren’t sure what the “Read with Me” challenge is, check out this link. You can also go there for a list of who is participating.
Answered Prayers (aka: What would you do for a little pampering?)
Our daughter was born with a heart defect. Those two words — heart defect — can terrify the most stable parent, yet in our case it has always been a non-issue. This week, however, I claimed my maternal right to freak out.
Ellie was diagnosed with a “murmur” at three months. Then around five months her doctors gave the murmur a very official and kinda scary-sounding name: coronary artery fissure (or fistula, depending on which cardiologist spoke). They explained it as an extra loop in her heart, then assured us it was no cause for alarm; it was just something we should keep tabs on with regular visits. It might even heal itself before her fifth birthday.
So, every six months for three years I’d take her to get an EKG and a sonogram of her heart. Around her third birthday, they changed our appointment schedule to once a year. At every visit they told us it was nothing to worry about — keep watching, let us know if anything changes.
Nothing ever changed. Including the defect. It didn’t show any signs of “healing”, but it also didn’t cause any problems. Ellie kept growing at exponential rates; she was supremely healthy in pretty much every way. I pushed those two scary words to the back of my mind, basically forgetting they ever applied to our family.
Then Monday reminded me. Ellie came home from school and complained of “splinters” inside her heart. She pointed to just the right spot, and my mind started spinning. Read the rest of this entry
Fighting Paralyzation
So much swirls around me. I ache to do something, yet I don’t know where to start. A friend is living through, almost literally, the first four chapters of Job. Another watches her mother deteriorate from Alzheimer’s, that bitter and heartless thief of a disease. One works countless hours and still can’t seem to make ends meet. Another watches helplessly as a beloved child suffers from seizures seemingly without cause or end in sight. Divorce. Cancer. Rebellion. And then there’s Haiti, not to mention the innumerable other tragedies around the globe. What can I do? Where do I start?
I am overwhelmed. This gnawing hole in my heart longs to fix something. Anything. Yet I know I am utterly incapable. That is, without Him.
He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Lord of all who live. He is GOD. I don’t claim to understand Him. I don’t even claim that all happens for a reason. I only know that HE IS GOOD. And He loves all of His children, even those who do not yet acknowledge Him. HE IS SOVEREIGN. He will make Himself known.
Now, what steps can I take toward that end? When I look at the swirling mess around me, I feel paralysis taking root. I shudder and quake, not knowing what to do or where to turn. But when I look at HIM, then I can see small steps. An encouraging note sent here. An unexpected visit there. A hug. A coffee. A heap of prayers.
It may not sound like much, but the God who fed five thousand from a couple fish and a few loaves can do anything. This is my offering. Lord God, multiply it!
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
– Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB)
As a final note, if you have not yet donated to the relief efforts in Haiti, please consider how you can help. There are several organizations right there, primed and ready: Compassion, World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse are just a few. If you cannot give monetary help, consider what else you may give. Hope for Haiti is a site that allows people to auction off what they can — services, crafts, products and more. All proceeds go to The Red Cross and Compassion. Can you give ad space on your blog? List something you’ve made? Offer photography lessons? Check it out.
12 Pearls of Christmas: Slow Down, Pray, and Give Thanks
All Decked Out For Christmas
by Maureen Lang
One of the reasons so many of us love the holiday season is that it’s just so…pretty! Twinkling lights, shiny ornaments, packages that glisten with bows and fancy wrapping. Our houses are trimmed with wreaths and glowing trees, and the neighborhood lights up the night with strands of icicles and glimmering reindeer.
Even we get decked out for the holidays! Chances are most of us will attend at least one party this season, and if we don’t usually don clothing or jewelry with a bit of sparkle, now’s the time to take a chance with something that reflects the holiday.
Smiles are another reason this season is such a popular one. They accompany that familiar greeting-Merry Christmas! Smiles go with the gifts we give and with the gifts we receive. Smiles go with the old Christmas carols and classic movies we watch every year.
The holiday season is a time when everything can seem amplified. But what if we’re all decked out on the outside, from the sparkling clothing to our best effort at a smile, and on the inside we’re anything but happy? If life isn’t what we expected it to be, the gap between reality and our happy, hopeful expectations seem wider when everyone around us is laughing through the season.
I know there are as many reasons to be unhappy as there are to be happy, and I wouldn’t begin to have the answer to make this season bearable for everyone. But I do know a few things that have worked for me:
Slow down. What? During the busiest time of the year? Yep. I know when I feel completely overwhelmed it’s because I’m pressuring myself to do too much. So I try to plan ahead, settle for less than perfection, do my best without driving myself and everyone around me crazy. Choose what’s really important and let go of the other things. And I’ve adopted my aunt’s favorite saying: “However it turns out, that’s how we like it.” Works wonders on attitude!
Pray. As my pastor reminded me this weekend from Psalm 34:18: the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. God may not deliver us from our troubles, but He promises to stay beside us-in fact, closer than when everything seems hunky-dory.
Find a moment to give thanks for what you do have (without looking around at those who have more).
This last point deserves a moment of reflection, and is something I’m still learning to do. I have a child severely handicapped by Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic form of mental retardation. For years I thought I’d accepted his condition. I obediently said to God, “thank you even for this,” since it taught me many things about adjusting to the life I’ve been given rather than the one I might have chosen.
But as my son gets older, I see new forms of acceptance making that feeling of gratitude more genuine. I think I’m finally letting go of some of the hopes and dreams I had for him, my oldest son. I can no longer imagine him any other way than the way he is, even though I’d be first in line if a cure is ever found.
I still think it’s a good thing to give thanks in all things, even if it begins out of obedience rather than tender gratitude for whatever thorn we live with. But realizing it’s okay to grow into that gratitude was a blessing to me.
Maybe some of the bruises on our spirit seem tender during the holiday season, a reminder that all the glitter on the outside might not light us up on the inside. My prayer is trust Psalm 34:18. Let’s lean on Him this season-He’s right here beside us!
Maureen Lang grew up loving to tell stories, and God has blessed her immeasurably to be able to tell them to a wider audience these days. For the latest goings-on, please check her blog!
Prayer Confessions
Some days I avoid prayer. It’s not that I don’t want to share my heart with God. It’s just that … well, if I were a superstitious person (which I would never admit to being), I would claim Murphy’s Law on prayer. It’s like a jinx. Or maybe the reverse is true: life seems easier without it simply because I have the lack of it as an excuse.
I realize this doesn’t make sense.
I’m not sure I want to try to make it make sense.
Consider this another one of those random thoughts posts where I spout a mostly illogical stream of consciousness.
Here’s the deal: on days when I forget to pray, things seem to go well. When they don’t, I simply say “Well, that’s life and I didn’t pray today, so what do I expect?” Somewhere in my mind’s gallery I dust off a cross-stitched pillow that explains it all: “Days hemmed in prayer rarely unravel.”
But prayer isn’t fairy dust. It’s not a magic combination of words that immediately makes everything better or easier. Prayer doesn’t keep my life together.
On days when I do pray, everything seems to go wrong. I feel overwhelmed. Deadlines have been missed, too many people call with demands, and the kids need more attention than ever. I cry out, “God, why is this day so hard? I prayed! I put you first, so why does this day suck so much?”
This morning Rick and I prayed. We rarely have time to pray together before he leaves for work, but this morning we did. I loved it. But then my day started just as Murphy would have predicted.
I prayed again. “God, please help me.”
I stepped back. I looked. I took one step at a time.
And everything worked out. It’s just past lunch and all the worries that clouded my morning have dissipated. They’ve all been dealt with and we’re right back on track.
What was it we prayed this morning? That we would be ever-dependent upon Him, that we would seek Him throughout our days and give Him all the glory.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. Thank you for answering them so quickly! You are a good and merciful God. You make all things possible.
Update on Molly
Hey folks. THANK YOU to all of you who have prayed for Molly. I’ve been getting updates from the family via facebook and phone calls with my mom.
The surgery went according to plan, but now is the really tough part: waiting. We’re waiting for her to have seizures so that the doctors can collect and analyze the data. The hope is that they will be able to discover what is causing her seizures. Once they do, the family can move on to the next step: removing those triggers and stopping the seizures. I can’t even imagine what her parents are feeling and enduring during this time. Molly’s been sick since the surgery. She’s not sleeping well and just wants to come home. Please continue to pray.
God is good and He will be glorified!
I tried to embed a video from the local news, but it’s not quite working, so here’s a link: Bald for Bean.
Again, THANK YOU for your prayers! Keep ‘em coming.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: I just heard she’s now eating a little. Praise God! Her nausea and headaches have decreased, but she’s still a little woozy at times. No more seizures yet. I’ll keep you posted if I hear more.
Perspective.
Zach is sick. He’s had that lethargic, glossy-eyed, runny nose look about him all day. I hate when my kids are sick. They’re miserable! I hate seeing them that way.
And, of course, the selfish part of me whispers in my subconscious. They’re more work when they’re sick. He’s coughing all over me, demanding juice and food and watching the same annoying Thomas video over and over.
Today, however, has been different. While some sick days leave me feeling exhausted, frustrated, and germophobic, today I feel none of those. I feel good. I feel blessed. I feel utterly spoiled.
This morning a friend’s eight-year-old daughter underwent brain surgery.
Talk about perspective. A runny nose is nothing — less than nothing! — compared to that.
We’ve been praying for Molly for a long time. It’s funny because I’ve never actually met her. Our families are very close; I talk to her grandmama regularly. I grew up with her aunt and uncle; her daddy was in youth group with my older sister. Her grandaddy married me and Rick over ten years ago. Even now, my mama spends every Sunday with their whole family by the lake after church. But for some reason, whenever we visit, we miss her.
But we’re praying for her now. And will continue praying until God heals her or calls her home. I don’t even like thinking that last bit, but I know God is infinitely wise. He loves Molly and her family even more than we do, and I place my trust in Him.
Here’s a great article about the journey they’re taking. It ran in the local newspaper today and features a picture of Molly with her dad and his football team. We’d really appreciate your prayers.
How awesome is it that God hears and answers our prayers even when we pray for people we don’t know and may never meet? It is an honor to stand before Him, to carry each other’s burdens. Imagine the community we’ll have when in eternity we all gather together in one place! I can hardly wait.
What do you need?
Yesterday was another one of those days.
Typically I’d say I’m a pretty chipper person. I usually look at the glass as half full, if not overflowing. I see the positive side of most things and the humor in just about everything. But then there are days when I’m not so chipper. I get in a funk of discontent.
Nothing in particular upsets me. I think that’s part of the problem. I spend the whole day trying to figure out what’s wrong, what messed up my equilibrium, when it may be nothing at all.
The kids are too hyper, too loud, too whiny or not listening well. The house is perpetually messy, the phone keeps ringing, and I never seem to get anything done.
Whether I find a cause or not (and I usually don’t), I try to prescribe a remedy.
I need more sleep, more exercise, more caffeine, maybe chocolate or water or veggies. I need a maid. I need quiet. I need time to read, time to write or maybe some brainless TV. I need to talk to an adult. I need to be more disciplined or discipline my children more. I need to vent. I need a hobby.
Maybe one of these is the solution. Maybe on this particular day it is as simple as taking twenty minutes to rest with a good novel. Maybe that would be enough for me to regroup and get back on track.
But here’s my question: why do I think of all these “solutions” before I think to pray?
I’m not suggesting prayer as a quick-fix, genie-in-a-bottle type answer. God is not Santa Claus and prayer is not some formulaic pixie dust. In fact, I believe prayer is more for us than for Him.
He already knows all of our needs and troubles and desires, and He knows exactly how He will resolve (or not) every issue in our lives. So why would He need us to ask Him for anything? He doesn’t. It’s that simple. But He does ask us to come to Him in prayer with supplication and thanksgiving because He loves us that much. He knows we need it. He doesn’t need us to pray; we need us to pray.
When we pray — not just say the words, but really pray — we acknowledge who we are and who God is. That’s how we get back on track. Prayer offers a perspective realignment. It shows us how much we need Him and how insignificant all these little details really are. If we’re not right with Him, it doesn’t matter how clean or filthy our bathrooms are. HE is what matters most.
On days like this, prayer is what I need. More than chocolate, more than a bigger house or a hard-working clone or a nanny. On days like this I need to remember who God is and what He has asked of me for today. That’s it.
What do you need today?
“Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
– Psalm 46:10 (NASB)
Mama Loves: Heartfelt Prayers
A couple weeks ago Ellie told us how she had asked Jesus to live in her heart. She then excitedly proclaimed “And He did it! He really did it. I KNOW He did!”
My heart skipped and caught at the same time.
I’ve known too many people who have placed undue security in childhood conversions and family connections. Don’t get me wrong! We are to have child-like faith (which is another topic), and I firmly believe children CAN understand and accept Jesus as Lord (which is exactly this topic). But I’ve tempered my celebration. My hesitation comes from those who think they understand, but really don’t. Or worse: those who know all the right words and just want to fit in and/or please their parents.
I’ve shared before how Rick and I both said “The Prayer” when we were kids, but neither of us truly accepted Christ as Lord until much later. While some believe just saying the words is enough, I don’t. God sees our hearts; He knows our intents. Hell insurance, as many of my high school friends called it, simply doesn’t cut it. God doesn’t sell insurance. He provides hope, grace and salvation through sincere repentance. He wants a relationship, not an oral contract.
One last theological clarification: I don’t believe we can lose our salvation. Once saved, always saved. But I do believe that some who claim to be followers of Christ are actually missing the boat. I believe people can walk the walk and talk the talk without having a clue who God really is or why He is relevant to our lives. Unfortunately, Christianity has become a culture and an industry almost more than it is a religion. (Anybody read The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher?)
Wow. That was a huge tangent, not at all what I had planned to post this morning. 
Mama loves heartfelt prayers.
While I may be skeptical and hesitant to declare my daughter once and for all “saved,” I am absolutely thrilled to witness her changed prayers. They’re a great sign that what she claims is true and sincere.
We’ve never taught our kids rote prayers. Call it Catholic recovery or whatever you want. It’s just one way we’ve distinguished our family from liturgical cousins and neighbors. But kids love repetition! Both Zach and Ellie have found their own rhythms and ruts when talking to God. Ellie’s prayers used to be some version of this:
“Thank you, God, for this pray. (I’m not sure where that come from, but Zach says it too. It’s a mix between ‘prayer’ and ‘day,’ I think.) Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Zach and Ellie and Mommy and Zach and Ellie. And thank you for this food we’re about to eat. Amen.”
Now her prayers are so much more authentic. They’re much more her, much more reflective of a relationship rather than a ritual. Here’s an example:
“God, I don’t really like it when we have to leave Cape Cod. I want to stay here always. But I guess it will be nice to go home, too, so thanks for our vacation and thanks for being with us when we go home. Amen.”
And her nighttime prayers are just as cool! She recounts her day. “We did this and then we did that and wasn’t that fun and thanks, God, for everything.” She honestly opens up her heart to Him, inviting Him into all her feelings, but with perfect trust in who He is, in all His sovereignty and glory, grace and truth. I love it!
It challenges me. How often do we, as adults, open our hearts to God? Do we share our disappointments? Our joys? Our hopes? Or do we give a rote list of wishes and thanks?
I want to invite God into my life on a daily basis. I want to walk with Him, not just send Him a prayerful email at the end of each day.
Give me less
If you could only ask two things of God, what would you request? Any two things in all the world and imagination. And, no, you can’t ask for more wishes. What would you choose?
I’ve requested many things from God. A bigger house, so that I can exercise the gift of hospitality properly. A more organized mind, so that I can manage my household more efficiently. The perfect opportunities, so that I may bring glory to His name most profoundly. These requests may be fine and good, but they’re based on my finite understanding. Furthermore, they hint of pride.
Oh, yes, I already have the gift of hospitality and, yes, yes, I want what I deem efficient and proper. If only God would give me the right opportunities, then I could honor Him rightly. Why does He delay in provision, preventing me from using my magnificent abilities??
I read Proverbs 30 this morning. The first nine verses include a discussion between a skeptic and a believer. Check it out. (Normally, I don’t like quoting The Message, but I really like the way Peterson paraphrased this passage. For further study, be sure to check out actual translations of Scripture.)
The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God!—I can do anything I want! I’m more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me. I flunked ‘wisdom.’ I see no evidence of a holy God. Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? Grab the winds and control them? Gather the rains in his bucket? Stake out the ends of the earth?Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now—tell me!”
The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.”
And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me — Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.
If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’
If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.”
What two things did the believer ask? (1) Set me in the center of truth and (2) give me just what I need for today, no more, no less.
As consumers, especially in America, we believe we always need more. We need more food, more comfort, more clothes, more technology, more coffee, more sex, more friends, more entertainment … more of everything. But in acquiring all of this, are we seeking to be free of God? Are we seeking independence from our Creator and Sustainer?
God likes reversing human logic. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. The servant shall be greatest of all. The weak shall be strong and the strong made weak. Love your enemies.
Here’s another one, my prayer for today: Give me less that I might need You more.
