Heart Soul and Might

For the last couple weeks, I’ve been showing my five-year-old Josiah a few basics on the piano. Basically using three fingers starting on middle C… I still think he’s too young for formal lessons, but it’s been fun to see him picking up some things at such a young age.

This morning we had an interaction that reminded me a lot about life.

A few weeks back, I decided to resurrect some Scott Joplin material, so I’ve been practicing “The Maple Leaf Rag” here and there when I have a few moments. I’ve gotten it to where it sounds great, and it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s one of those classics that most people would recognize if they heard it. Not the easiest song, but of course practice delivers results, right?

Well, this morning I sat down with Josiah to have him play his 3-note scale and he did so well that I added fingers 4 and 5 as well, so now he can play a 5-note scale up and back down. He picked it up quick! I asked him to practice three times - and I welled up with excitement as I saw him negotiating his fingers on each key. He did it perfectly the first time! So, I said to him “Ok, two more times, Jo-Jo.” His next comment floored me, and I knew we were moving into a teachable moment.

Sitting on the piano bench, he turned around to me and said, “Now I wanna do some hard stuff, dad.”

I said, “What hard stuff?” and he said “The song you were just playing. Show me what to play, and I’ll play it.”

I got down on my knees and looked him in the eye and said “Josiah, you have to learn the easy stuff first and keep working on it before you can learn to play the hard stuff.” His eyes deflated, and he leaned his head down on the piano keys and said “But Dad, I really want to play the hard stuff.” So we spent the next couple minutes talking about how Daddy needed to work hard for years on the “easy stuff” before he could ever start to play the “hard stuff.” He wasn’t too excited about that prospect in that moment, so he jumped off the piano bench and went back to playing with his rubber crocodile.

It reminded me of life and growing to maturity in Christ… I’ll let you make the connection as it relates to you personally…

There are some exciting new changes in ministry that the Lord has recently led me to pursue! A few months ago, one of our staff elders and good friend Maridus Kinder asked me if I’d consider taking the position of overseeing Fellowship’s Global Outreach ministry. We’ve partnered together extensively over the last few years in developing Worship Global, our Worship and Arts Ministry’s interaction with and influence to the world. Trips to Hungary (2002, 2003), Nigeria (2004) and Peru (2005) and our planned trip in October 2006 to Kenya and Nigeria have fueled the flame in my heart for global outreach. I have sensed my heart beating stronger and stronger with the Lord’s for reaching out beyond our borders to the world. So, I told the Elder Board that I’d pray about this potential during my sabbatical and come back with a decision one way or another.

One important factor in the decision was that I’ve been hands-on involved and/or leading worship and arts ministries at some level for 16 years at two churches, and have greatly enjoyed seeing much fruit come to bear. And not merely leading the ministry, but enjoying shepherding a body of believers toward a higher view of God’s greatness and glory, leading to a more passionate and dependent lifestyle of worship. And through much prayer, I know and am confident that no matter what ministry I’m most directly involved in, that will always remain my heart and posture toward God.

Over my sabbatical, the answer became very clear. God was giving me the “green light” to make a monumental ministry shift - saying goodbye to worship and arts ministry directly, and “hello” to Global Outreach! I will still continue to lead worship on occasion, but my primary focus will now be overseeing the relationship with our Ministry Partners all over the world.

This last year, our church sent out over 15 short-term teams to work with our Ministry Partners in Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, Russia, Peru, Slovenia and other countries throughout the world. Our vision is to provide “Wind and Water” to these various global partners. Wind is resources, equipping, teaching, teaching materials, financial resources, etc. (ala providing wind in their sails). Water is providing assistance to meet basic needs - food, water, shelter, agricultural training… (ala providing a cool cup of water in the desert).

This is all very new and exciting to me and I look forward to direct ministry and partnership with the many talented and gifted servants we work with throughout the world. If my 5-6 mission trips over the last few years are any indication of the influence, impact, life change and fulfilling ministry that are ahead, I can’t wait!

In addition to overseeing Global Outreach and continuing to lead worship, I’ll also continue to provide leadership in the area of prayer at Fellowship and will be helping to lead and teach in our Equipping Center as part of the Equipping Ministries Team. There are a number of other areas of ministry I’ll be involved in as well, and I hope to expand on those in the days and weeks to come.

Thanks for walking this journey with me!

This document birthed a new nation. If there was a day when reading the Declaration of Independence was appropriate, it is today. Recommended: The National Archives Experience is a great site for citizens of all ages. Would we sign this? Would we sacrifice our lives for freedom? Do we appreciate all of those who did? Like Christ, who gave us freedom from the penalty of sin with his death, there are many who have gone before us who have sacrificed for freedoms you and I take for granted on a daily basis.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

• He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

• He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

• He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

• He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

• He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

• He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

• He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

• He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

• He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

• He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

• He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

• For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

• For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

• For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

• For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

• For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

• He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

• He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

• He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

• He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

• He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

HT: Rich Kirkpatrick

HT: National Archives

I finished this book by Samuel Chadwick yesterday on my day of spiritual refreshment and was really challenged in the area of disciplined prayer and intercession. I’m very passionate about prayer and dependence, but have never considered myself an intercessor. I don’t feel like I’m “wired” like most intercessors I know… and I’m honestly not very disciplined in interceding for others’ needs on a regular basis. I’m like a streaky baseball player who hits .450 for a week and then goes 0 for 30 the next week.

However, one of the things that struck me in finishing Chadwick’s book was that Jesus was an intercessor… He did the hard work of going off to a desolate place alone and interceding before the Father for many things. And, in my desire to be Christ-like - to be like Jesus - I too need to do the hard work of an intercessor. We ALL do. What I AM finding out as I continue this journey toward dependence is that prayer and intercession will never be easy for me. There will always be challenges. There will always be something else I could be doing. In fact, there will always be “good” things I could be doing with my time rather than praying. But, I need to pray, because that is how God moves.

A verse that has always struck me (and Chadwick refers to) is Ezekiel 22:30. God says:

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.”

God was looking for an intercessor. One man to go before the Lord on behalf of the nation of Israel to dissuade Him from destroying the nation… But there wasn’t one. Why? Because it’s hard work and it goes against our human nature to be still and make petitions before God. But the Bible clearly shows us the importance of intercession. Chadwick says this:

“The praying people of the Bible are intercessors. Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses made intercession for apostate Israel. Samuel prayed all night for Saul and continually for the nation. David entreated God for His people. Daniel prayed for the deliverance of the Lord’s people from Babylon. Christ prayed for His disciples, and made special intercession for Peter… The one thing that is said to have surprised God is that the voice of intercession had ceased. ‘And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor,’ (Isaiah 59:16). His delivering mercy depends upon intercessors - people who will put their shoulders under the burdens of others… The normal function of prayer is to make intercession with God for others.”

Samuel Chadwick, The Path of Prayer, p. 109.

Intercession is a mystery. Chadwick says that praying for others “is the deepest mystery and the crowning glory of prayer.” But, in interceding, we are being LIKE JESUS. For “He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

I’ll be blogging the rest of the chapters of this book in the coming days. This is a challenging and convicting book, but one that is also inspiring as we realize the high privilege and calling it is to live a dependent life of prayer before our God.

I love the prayers of the Puritans. This beautiful prayer comes from a wonderful book, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions:

Living by Prayer

O God of the open ear,
Teach me to live by prayer as well as by providence,
for myself, soul, body, children, family, church;
Give me a heart frameable to thy will;
so I might live in prayer,
and honor thee,
being kept from evil, known and unknown.
Help me to see the sin that accompanies all I do,
and the good I can distill from everything.
Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring my will to thine,
and that without this it is folly to pray;
When I try to bring thy will to mine it is to command Christ,
to be above him, and wiser than he;
this is my sin and pride.
I can only succeed when I pray
according to thy precept and promise,
and to be done with as it pleases thee,
according to thy sovereign will.
When thou commandest me to pray for pardon, peace, brokenness,
it is because thou wilt give me the thing promised,
for Thy glory, as well as for my good.
Help me not only to desire small things
but with holy boldness to desire great things
for thy people, for myself,
that they and I might live to show thy glory.
Teach me that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have,
out of love, willingly, not of necessity;
that I may come to thee at any time,
to lay open my needs acceptably to thee;
that my great sin lies in my not keeping the savour of thy ways;
that the remembrance of this truth is one way to the sense of Thy presence;
that there is no wrath like the wrath of being governed
by my own lusts for my own ends.

The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, p. 147.

I’ve been reading books on prayer, looking for the right book for our congregation to inspire and encourage them in their prayer life. A few months ago I went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle website to see what they might recommend. I’ve had the privilege of meeting and spending some time with their Senior Pastor, Jim Cymbala, and view him as one of Christianity’s most passionate voices on prayer. Anything he would recommend, I would want to check out.

Sure enough, there is one book (other than those he himself has written!) that he highly recommends, and in fact, wrote the foreword to: Samuel Chadwick’s The Path of Prayer. The subtitle to this book is “A vital book on a vital issue written for plain people who are sincerely simple in their trust.” Upon coming across this book and knowing Pastor Cymbala so highly recommends it, I’ve read it and will be posting chapter summaries on my blog for your edification and encouragement.

About this little book, Cymbala says: “The Path of Prayer is a very special book about a vital subject. Most books on prayer only inform the mind, but Samuel Chadwick both instructs the intellect and inspires the heart to meet God at the throne of grace. I thank God for this precious volume for it has greatly affected my life and ministry.”

Chapter one is entitled “The Sign of Prayer” and in it, Chadwick lays out the biblical foundation for his view of prayer as being inseparable with God. He says “Belief in God and belief in prayer are elemental and intuitive.” The Old Testament is full of stories that show how central prayer is to the life of God’s people – deliverance, victory, experience and vision… all point to prayer and the answer to prayer. He says the basis of prayer is sonship: “It is natural for a child to ask something of its father, and it is reasonable for the father to listen to the request of his child.” The testimony of scripture and all of history is that God listens to and answers the prayers of His children.

Saul’s conversion at Tarsus in Acts 9 is where Chadwick finds a unique revelation concerning God’s heart for prayer.

“There is the man who prayed, the God who heard and the man through whom the answer came.  God, of course, is central. It is to Him prayer is made, through Him prayer is interpreted, and by Him prayer is answered.” He cites Acts 9:11 as a verse which shows the “wonder” with which God views prayer: “Behold, he is praying.” Chadwick says that the only thing in the universe more amazing than a man praying, is that man, knowing God’s heart for prayer, would NOT pray! He says that in the word “behold”, there is “wonder, rapture, exultation. In the estimate of God, prayer is more wonderful than all the wonders of the heavens, more glorious than all the mysteries of the earth, more mighty than all the forces of creation.”

It is clear that Chadwick sees prayer as absolutely central to sonship – to the proof of grace in one’s life – to life itself. His conclusive statement (actually a question) to this fact is this: “Is there any proof that a man is a man of God like the fact that he is a man of prayer?”

One of the reasons I love this book (in addition to Cymbala’s recommendation!) is that the author has absolutely no pretense, and certainly isn’t seeking to come across as an expert on prayer. On the contrary, it is clear that he is led by humility and in his introduction says honestly and candidly that he is simply writing out of his own prayer life experience. It’s because of that, I believe I can trust him as an author. It’s clear he has a deep relationship with his Lord. One that I hope to have as well.

I haven’t read this book yet, but I’ve been enjoying Bob Kauflin’s series of posts on Isaac Watts’ book A Guide To Prayer. He just posted his third in the series as he looks at each chapter in the book - click on the links below for the series so far.

Click here to read Kauflin’s post on The Nature of Prayer (#1)

Click here to read Kauflin’s post on The Gift of Prayer (#2)

Click here to read Kauflin’s post on The Grace of Prayer (#3)

I have a real burden for 1) growing personally in the area of prayer and dependence, and 2) exploring ways that our church members can grow in prayer and dependence. Typically, prayer is one of the neglected aspects of a person’s spiritual life, and it is often easy to overlook in the life of a church simply because… prayer is often hard work. And, let’s face it, prayer isn’t exactly a big drawing card in people gathering to meet. But, it’s so vitally important in the life of a believer, and is a real indicator of spiritual growth and maturity. It’s not attending a prayer meeting that is the indicator - but a life truly lived dependently before God - privately and publicly. I appreciate resources like Kauflin’s blog that keep these important issues that relate to our journey of sanctification before us.

Yesterday, I listened to a tape of a message on prayer by Jim Cymbala, the senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City, and author of a number of books including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. (You might be saying to yourself, “Did I just hear him say he listened to a TAPE?!” Yes, I admit it. I almost forgot how to use it, but actually found it was like riding a bike. Once I popped it in my car, it all started coming back to me.)

Basically, his message centered around one of my favorite passages, Hebrews 4:16:

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We all have a favorite spot - a park, a certain state, an island, a certain room in the house, some foreign enchanted land… For me, I love the mountains and always seem to be compelled by them. I think that’s one of the reasons why the picture at the top of this page is a view from the top of Mount Everest. It’s as close as we can physically get to “the heavens” on this earth and in some incredibly significant ways, I feel closer to God when I’m in the mountains.

But, there’s a place that’s even sweeter than the grandest hidden chalet in the most majestic mountain range on earth. There is no enchanted foreign land that can compare to this place. It’s a very real place, a place  that we can boldly enter with confidence through the sacrifice of Christ - the Throne of Grace.

It’s through prayer and a life of dependence that we enter this place where the power and presence of God are most clearly seen and experienced. We can come to this place because Christ has given us access through His death and resurrection. There is no longer a dividing wall separating us from all that God offers here. And there are only two things that we find - truly only two things that we ever need - that we find here at the Throne of Grace. Grace and mercy.

Grace - unmerited favor. We don’t deserve it, but we desperately need it. It isn’t something we can earn or get credit for. It’s something we receive from God, through no efforts of our own - and we can’t spiritually survive without it. God gives it to us freely at His Throne of Grace.

Mercy - that God withholds from us what we all deserve - His wrath and judgment. It is free and available to us at the Throne of Grace. I don’t know about you, but knowing all the many ways I’ve sinned and how I’m so capable of sinning in any moment, I am so thankful for mercy.
We all need mercy and grace. And we don’t need to get our life all neatly wrapped up and figured out to approach the Throne of Grace in order to receive it. Actually, that’s the point of mercy and grace. We can’t get right or good enough to receive it on our own  - we simply need to accept the gift as we approach God through prayer at the Throne of Grace.

Don’t go there apologetically. Don’t go there out of guilt or shame. We are given the keys to enter the Throne of Grace confidently and boldly! If you have placed your faith in Christ, you can go there now. Whether you’re driving in your car, at a ball game, in an argument, in prison, in the hospital… All we need to do is call out to God in prayer and we’re there. I know this is mysterious - it’s not a physical place right now where we can drive or take a train to. But its a very real place that God has made available to us. And can there be any place sweeter than the place at Christ’s feet where mercy and grace are freely given to all?

We need to go there and go there often. It only happens as we lay our life before God in prayerful dependence. You can go there now.  There is no sweeter place than the Throne of Grace.

One of our teaching pastors, Jeff Helton, taught a message today from Ruth 2 on the providence and sovereignty of God and it really struck a chord with me. After laying out a brief theology of providence, his main point was that based on this divine providence, we all need to come to the point of being able to say:

“I will cling to the character of God regardless of the circumstances of life.”

To realize that no matter what life throws at us - whether it leads to chaos, confusion, disappointment, disillusionment… God is always at work for the purpose of HIS glory and OUR good. There is nothing that falls outside the scope of His divine sovereignty and providential purpose. Yes, life is hard. Yes, there are unexplainable tragedies and terribly painful experiences. We all see them, and we all experience them. But, God is always at work for the purpose of His glory and our good. Nothing surprises Him. He isn’t sitting on the edge of His seat in heaven waiting to see what will happen on earth, hoping it will somehow glorify Him. No, He is working providentially through all our circumstances, the good and the bad to elevate His glory.

Jeff’s message boiled it down to four ways we can and should respond to God’s providence:

1. It leads us to worship Him.

2. It frees us from bitterness.

3. It empowers us to keep walking.

4. It calls us to make a choice to live by faith.

I can worship a God who is supremely powerful, sovereign and providential. I can’t worship a god who is weak, impotent and limited. God, who has chosen us for Himself, is worthy to be worshipped with ALL of our beings as those undeservedly redeemed and apart from His saving grace, incapable of choosing Him. That’s a God who is worthy of my worship.

It’s the freeing from bitterness that is sometimes the sticking point for me. If my rights have been violated, or I’ve been betrayed or manipulated, my natural inclination leads toward a heart of bitterness. Yet, if we see every circumstance as not only allowed by God, but used by God for our good and His glory, it changes everything. Bitterness and resentment no longer make sense in light of God’s sovereign purposes and plans. I needed to hear this. I’ve walked through some circumstances that, apart from God having a mysterious, divinely providential plan, would lead directly toward bitterness. But, I’m choosing to trust my almighty omniscient and sovereign Savior, who always acts in a manner that will bring ultimate glory to His name.

Even during the hardest times - the times where I wanted to pack it all up and run - God was at work. He always is. And, I can continue to cling to the character of God - a God who is patient, loving, gracious, forgiving, generous, merciful and loving - no matter what circumstances befall me. Yes, we each need to make the decision to keep walking and live by faith. That’s the walk of humility, dependence and trust. A walk that God is calling each of us to. To trust in His providential hand and sovereign grace.
To Him be all the glory!

I’ve been reading a number of things recently on prayer and just finished a very short and readable book by David Jeremiah called The Prayer Matrix: Plugging into the Unseen Reality. 98% of this book resonates with where God has been leading my heart regarding prayer over the years, and I would recommend it for your reading list.

We lose Biblical perspective when we see prayer merely as the words we say when we close our eyes and bow our heads, or attend a prayer meeting, or ask for God to bless our meal. If Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 are to have the meaning the author intended, prayer has to be more than words. It was to be our lifestyle. In this passage, Paul says “Pray without ceasing.” This kind of prayer doesn’t end with “amen.” It doesn’t end when we open our eyes or move on to our next agenda item. This kind of prayer is happening all the time - because it is how we live, not what we say. The word that has been resonating with me for quite some time now is “dependence” - because it is as we posture our life in complete and total dependence on our sovereign God that we can pray without ceasing. David Jeremiah says this in The Prayer Matrix:

“We become men and women of prayer when we recognize our desperate need. Our culture teaches that we don’t need God because we ourselves are god. Prayer stabs at the heart of that idea. God tells us that we’re dependent upon Him, and He doesn’t say that just to lord it over us; He’s telling the truth, and we can either accept it by faith or have to learn the lesson the hard way through the difficulties of life…

I have learned, and am learning, that there’s no real victory or joy in the Christian life unless there’s also a sense of total dependence upon God. And that sense of dependence is what makes prayer spring to life.”

David Jeremiah, The Prayer Matrix, Multnomah Publishers, Sister, Oregon, 2004, p. 65.

I know that in my own life, I became much more dependent when I realized my desperate need for the grace and mercy of God to change my heart and make me more like Christ. It is so easy to walk in our own strength - especially when times are good - but God is calling each of us to realize our utter need for Him and to surrender our self-agenda for His eternal agenda. And when we plug into this mysterious, unseen reality of His divine and sovereign plan through dependence, only then can we truly experience all God has for us in this life. Not for our purposes, but for His. We can claim the truth of Psalm 138:8 - “He will fulfill HIS purposes for me” - only as we allow our lives to be shaped by His hand of grace, through dependence. It’s a complete denial of self, and a complete surrendering to Him. This is a life of dependence. This is a life of prayer.