Browsing Tag

Prayer

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Keep Begging Him.

Well, I really try not to talk, write, focus ALL the time on the fact that this is the most difficult and perplexing time of my sojourn on the planet. I try to sharpen my heart with the sword of His Holy Spirit, to dwell on the things that are abundant and obvious blessings directly from His hand and to keep trusting that the the One who sees the sparrow is watching, knowing and rescuing His children. I know He is. 

But after a particularly exhausting week, I made a three hour trip back to Huntsville just in time to walk in the building and hear my brother, Melvin Otey, present a masterpiece lesson about the widow who just would not stop from Luke 18:1-8. I had been forced to pull over and sleep on my way, because I had run into the wrong lane. I had powered through a mild stomach bug the night before. I had tried my best to advise someone who was going through an awful spot via phone while on this trip. While I know that, in whatever state, I am content (Phil. 4:11-13), I was pretty done by the time I arrived at that wonderful place where my family in Him comes together. Weary and worn and bringing mints to stay awake, I had a pretty good idea it would be a struggle. But it was not. God is good like that and the Word always hits its target. 

Below is my very loose (but in-keeping-with-the-meaning-of-the-text) transliteration of the passage that spoke to me last night from heaven. I love the Word!

Jesus spoke a parable to the Pharisees, to show them that people should always pray and not grow weary, give up, or lose hope.

Jesus said that there was, in a certain city, a judge who had no respect for God and no compassion for his fellowman. He was not a good person.

And there was a widow in that same city, who had an oppressive enemy or adversary. She brought the matter to the judge and asked him for relief: “Avenge me of my enemy.”

For a while, the judge ignored her. But after a while, the judge thought “I am not afraid of God. I will not do this to please Him. I don’t pity this woman or have any compassion, really, on her. That is not why I will act. But because she is wearying me with her coming…because she is wearing me down…because I am tired of her begging me, I am going to grant her request and take care of her enemy.”

Jesus called on the Pharisees to think about this reasoning of the judge, who was a long way from a righteous man. “If this unrighteous judge answers because of the continual begging of a widow, how much more will the God of heaven avenge his own elect—his people—who are begging him for something day and night? He will do this even though he has to be patient with them as they are begging? If a wicked judge, who has no respect for God or man, gives relief because of the begging, how much more will your Father, hear you and give you the relief for which you’re begging day and night?”

And then Jesus answered His own question: “I’m telling you that God will suddenly give you the relief for which you are pleading.” It may come from a place and at a time and in a way that I least expect.

Then my Lord asks of us the simple question, “When Jesus comes, will he find in us this kind of pleading-over-and-again faith? He said these things because He was speaking to folks who trusted in themselves; people who thought they were the righteous ones and looked on others with disdain.

Is there something for which you have been begging; particularly something that will aid in some soul’s salvation? Is there a relief for which you have asked again and again, night and day. The answer for me, is, “yes”.  I know many of you well enough to know that it is “yes” for you, too. I know that He is hearing the repetition and I know that He will suddenly give the answer. I will be persistent in the asking, but patient in the waiting. He is truly so good to me. 

And for the diggers, this is a great example of practical comfort from the Holy Spirit, through the Word and then through the mouth of God’s servant.

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

When I fall, I shall arise…

Today I take great comfort in  Micah 7. My dear friend, Leslie (pictured on right) texted today and said “I am praying Micah 7:8 for you right now. No words are enough to relate my thanksgiving for prayers in my behalf, in good times and on darker days. Our connection to heaven is the greatest power on the planet. The world around us has such an arrogant sense of what makes greatness. Greatness is enthroned in majesty and I call on that greatness. I know if I bow my knee to the gods of entertainment, sports, prestige, money, friends or career, I will bow in shame and regret when every knee bows. I want to bow in praise and thanksgiving. 

Here’s Matthew Henry on verses 8-13. I love the words of the Holy Spirit here and I drank in this commentary today. 

Those truly penitent for sin, will see great reason to be patient under affliction. When we complain to the Lord of the badness of the times, we ought to complain against ourselves for the badness of our hearts. We must depend upon God to work deliverance for us in due time. We must not only look to him, but look for him. In our greatest distresses, we shall see no reason to despair of salvation, if by faith we look to the Lord as the God of our salvation. Though enemies triumph and insult, they shall be silenced and put to shame. Though Zion’s walls may long be in ruins, there will come a day when they shall be repaired. Israel shall come from all the remote parts, not turning back for discouragements. Though our enemies may seem to prevail against us, and to rejoice over us, we should not despond. Though cast down, we are not destroyed; we may join hope in God’s mercy, with submission to his correction. No hindrances can prevent the favors the Lord intends for his church.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me.

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Pray This!

Psalm 33 begins by saying that praising God befits or is comely for the upright. We can infer from that, that when unrighteous people offer praise to God, even while doing evil in the name of God, it is ugly and uncomely in His holy eyes. We all can recount recent scenarios in which great evil was done by hands of those whose lips were praising. Can you imagine how nauseated God must be when people who are devising evil against innocent people are doing so in the name of—claiming the authority of—God Almighty, for those evil intentions? That’s why Revelation 3 describes God as determined to vomit out those who are claiming to be His, but are not fully committed to seeking his righteousness (Revelation 3:15-20). 

The Psalmist goes on to say that this God, the one Who spoke the heavens and their hosts into existence, is the same One who sees all the children of men. When I look at the night sky, it is unfathomable that He sees me! From where He sits enthroned, He does see me! The One who is in charge of every generation, past and future, is also concentrating on me! He fashioned every heart and observes every deed of every man and woman. There is great comfort in that because there is no duplicity when dealing with God. He knows my heart.  He knows both its vast imperfections and its motivating intent. That is what I want Him to know. 

There is no strength in an army. There is no strength in horses or great human deliverers. 

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.”

I know some innocent people who are in a famine right now.   You probably know some, too… real victims in a world in which unrighteousness constantly claims victimization. Some are children. Some are spouses. Some are war-ravaged. Some are persecuted leaders just trying to do the right thing.  The Deliverer is near to the innocent. He will deliver them. My soul waits for Him. My hope is in Him. 

If you haven’t read Psalm 33 lately, go there today. Pray with the psalmist:  

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Teaching Kids to Pray #5: The Spiritual Blessings

I think it’s a pretty valuable family Bible time expenditure to get a piece of poster board or a dry erase board and draw a line down the middle and then let your littles write or draw the physical blessings on one side and the spiritual blessings on the other. They should learn the term from Ephesians 1:3. You should explain to them that spiritual blessings are things that God has given us to help us get to heaven. Cars are physical blessings because they help us get to the store and to worship, but we can get to heaven without them. Houses are physical blessings. We thank God for them, but we don’t have to have a house to get to heaven. Jesus did not even have one (Matthew 8:20)!

But spiritual blessings are things we need to get to heaven. The church where all the saved people are living, the Bible, the death and blood of Jesus, baptism, fellowship, prayer and its answers. Most of the spiritual blessings are even things we can’t see and touch, like forgiveness and our hope of heaven. These concepts are lofty for four-year-olds, but they will surprise you at how astute they will become at grasping this concept. You can even throw out things like an umbrella, a favorite toy, the godly example of Brother Joe, a vacation, worship, a doctor visit, a memorized scripture, etc… Have them identify as a physical blessing or a spiritual one and make it a game.

Then, when it’s time to pray, have them listen to you use superlative language to divide your thanksgiving. “We thank You, God for our houses and cars, but much, much more we praise you and thank You for Jesus!”… “We know You feed us when we are hungry, God, But OH!…Thank You for giving us Your word which feeds our souls for heaven! Help us to read it every single day so we can go to heaven!”…”We are very happy when we get to play out in the sprinkler or with our Hot Wheels cars. Thank You for those, Lord, but thank you most of all for the things we get to do to help other people to heaven. Help us to teach everyone we can find about heaven!”…”Lord, help us never to let houses, or cars, or toys or anything we have to keep us from having the important things that help us go to heaven! We just want to come and be with You! This is the BIG thing we have in our hearts!”

Let them hear these kinds of statements again and again and soon, they will be saying them (and meaning them) all on their own. They will begin, even as children, to set their affections on things above (Ephesians 3:2).

You can do this. Be diligent. Be consistent. Be victorious around the throne with your kids one eternal day!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

You’ll get through.

Sometimes, things you never saw coming derail your life plans.  This derailment is exacerbated when you are living in that generation that’s the middle of the sandwich—in that generation that’s pulled between the aged parents and the kids. When that happens, you feel you aren’t running your life anymore, but it is running you. it’s kind of a numb experience and you just keep telling yourself that the life that’s running you is short and that the One in charge of your destiny is, in fact, still in charge; that there’s coming an eternal day when everything gets put right again—only this time without the potential of derailment, defilement or decay. There are a few lessons you can learn quickly in these times of life. This is merely reflection; not an exhaustive list of everything I need to know to deal with such a time. I don’t yet know that list. Here’s a baker’s dozen: 

  1. Never put your trust in people. Always keep your emotional funding in the treasure chest in heaven (Luke 12:33,34). 
  2. Don’t feel guilty if there’s ever an hour when you can walk around in an antique store or do whatever it is that distracts you for a minute; whatever brings peace. It’s worth it for the renewal—for what it enables you to do for others (Col. 3:15).
  3. Keep trying to do the things that have encouraged you all of your life. If they encouraged you before, they have some power now, even though it doesn’t feel like it (Psalm 23:4). 
  4. Never stop looking for those people who are in more dire circumstances than you are. They are everywhere, far and near. (And take them a casserole if they are nearby.) [Deut. 15:11].
  5. Don’t forget that anything is possible with the God who is your Father. His infinite power to change things and His infinite love for you are the chemistry of hope (Mark 14:36). 
  6. Set a repeating prayer alarm and be getting to the throne all day every day. Prayers do not have to be long to be effective. Beg his people to pray, too. Never be embarrassed to ask for prayers from the faithful (Luke 11:8-10). 
  7. Find a few good sisters. Just a few encouragers to whom you can bare your soul are invaluable. Pick women who genuinely care about the important things in life—God, heaven and the people you love so much (1 Thess. 5:11). 
  8. Don’t stop self-examining. Always be humble and know that personal sin is always going to be part of this life’s troubles. But, if you’re faithful, don’t let anyone convince you that God’s not hearing and answering, just because you make mistakes along the way (1 Cor. 10:12). 
  9. Stay in the Word. This should be #1, actually (Heb. 4:12). 
  10. Stay with God’s people. This should be #2 (Rom. 14:19).
  11. As you’re staying with God’s people, don’t be shocked when people of the world act like people of the world. Don’t let those who have never been His or those who have walked away make you bitter. Realize the power of the devil. But be sure to remember the devil’s place on the power spectrum. Your Father’s power is infinite. The devil’s power has limits (1 John 4:4). 
  12. Try not to dwell on the things over which you have no control, no matter their painful nature. God can still control anything and in any way He chooses. Control your relationship with Him above all. He has given you that control. It’s called free moral agency and it is so valuable to you in the day of trouble (1 Peter 5:7). 
  13. Don’t ever fail to praise Him. Your temptation may be to forget the blessings—the sustenance, the support system, your salvation—in the times of despair. Ask Him to help you never to forget the numberless blessings that have never stopped coming your way (Col. 3:2). 

This may not be helpful to a single person except me. But thinking through this list makes me more okay with what I have to do today. When I pillow my head tonight, I will be one day nearer to the throne; one day nearer the ultimate eternal embrace of the Savior.  That “end game” makes all the difference. How do people do hard things without the throne clearly in the faith’s-eye-view? 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Teaching Kids to Pray #2: Maximizing the Morning Mindset

Just as in school. young children are taught certain rituals each morning (figuring out the season of the year and today’s date, assessing the weather, and quoting memory work from a literary text or from the Bible in Christian education) children who grow up leaning on prayer begin their days talking to God. It doesn’t have to be long. It should never be arduous, but rather enthusiastic and positive. It should be the verbal and heavenward “prediction” by you and your kids that it’s going to be a great day because God is your Father. 

I know I’m not the expert, but it’s my suggestion, although you’re going to listen to and assist your kids in prayer every day, that this first morning prayer be led by Mom or Dad. At the breakfast table is a great place to do this. 

Your tone of voice is pretty important here. It’s not monotone and it’s not a daily quotation. Your breakfast voice to God should be the same one you would use to a friend who has just brought flowers and dinner for your family. It should radiate amazement at his goodness, because His mercies are new every single morning (Lamentations 3:23). Here’s a sample: 

Oh Father! It’s a brand new day you have given us. That sunshine coming in our window is from You! You let us sleep in our own warm beds and now, here we are …ready to go and do good things to show people how much we love you. You gave us our kitty and our house and our car and…oh God, you gave us EVERY single thing that makes us smile. Oh God, thank-you! We love these biscuits and eggs, Lord. You never let us run out of food and we even sometimes have enough to save for later. Help us to not ever forget that you are our Father. Daddy is so good, but you are even HIS Father. Thank you for taking care of our little family. Help us to have a great day for you. Please keep us safe. Help us to be good and help us to be happy all day. Thank you for giving us Jesus. We love Him so much! And we pray in His Name, Amen.

Remember, the voice they hear should be the same voice you would use to encourage them before their piano recitals or tournament ballgames—excited and confident and supportive. 

Next time: Should kids be required to put their hands together and bow their heads? What about prayer postures?