Ancient Prayers

Today I'm reading Psalm 40:9-17, especially verses 9-10.

⁹ I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as you know.
¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness

from the great assembly.

St. Augustine once warned the Christians of the 4th century not to 'decapitate' the risen Christ. By that he meant that believers should not separate Jesus from his Body on earth... which means that we cannot pretend to follow Jesus without understanding our connection to other believers, and Christ's command to love one another. So, for the weeks of Lent I want to go back into church history and pray some prayers that come from our ancient brothers and sisters in Christ. Their Lord is our Lord. Their faith is our faith. Their struggles are our struggles.

Jeff

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, grant that in my frailty and sinfulness I may always keep your life and actions clearly in my mind’s eye.

Let me make progress in living life you as far as I can, so that I may grow up into your full humanity, and become a holy temple in the Lord.

May your grace go before me, and follow me, and shine in my heart; be my guide all along my ways.

Direct my thoughts and words and actions according to your commandments, that, doing your will in all things, I may be preserved both here and in eternity." (Ludolf of Saxony, 1300 – 1378)

Presidents Day

Taking a vacation day. So just reflect on Psalm 1 - and pray for our nation today.

Jeff

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Divine Moments 5

Today I’m reading a portion of the story of Gideon from Judges 6:11-17.

‘The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.”’

Gideon had one of the most usual divine encounters recorded in scripture. His back and forth go/no go with God is a classic example of someone unsure about following God's leading. Here's how Erwin McManus describes his challenge in Seizing Your Divine Destiny.

"Facing such an enemy, Gideon had been stripped down to three hundred men. Gideon must have had to the look of a desperate man sentenced to death when he measured the odds against him. Yet in this case, God guaranteed victory. He even invited Gideon to eavesdrop on the Midianites if he was too afraid to proceed. And he did just that. Once again, God confirmed the directio that He wanted Gideon to move in. Gideon was at last convinced that he was the warrior of God called ot deliver the people.

And then God was silent. He didn’t tell Gideon what to do next or, more specifically, how to do it. With three hundred men against a multitude you would think God would need to give him step-by-step instructions on how to secure the victory, but He didn’t. What we find is that Gideon, certain that was what God wanted done, moved forward n the strength he had, just as God had commanded him. So, Gideon took his three hundred warriors and turned them into musicians. They surrounded the Midianites and held torches in their left hands and blew trumpets, which they held in their right hands. And for special effects, they smashed jars at the same time. The Midianites were terrified and turned on each other, which allowed Gideon to seize an easy victory.

If this isn’t the context for uncertainty, I don’t know what would qualify. Yet one of the wonders of uncertainty is that it is the environment in which God invites us to be creative. The journey, which can be described as one from comfort to uncertainty, is intended to be an adventure from calling to creativity."

Has God led you into areas of uncertainty lately? We resist those places but it may be that an area of uncertainty is where he wants you to be so that you will really learn to trust him.

Jeff

Divine Moments 4

Today I'm reading Ephesians 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Here's some thoughts from Erwin McManus' book "Chasing Daylight" on how God's divine moments intersect with our potential as his children.

“I never thought I could do that” – the wonderful words of self-discovery…You [go] into a moment full of apprehension and insecurity; certain only of your inability and inadequacy, and you discover at the same time everyone else does that you were up to the challenge. You just hate those moments when they come at you, but you love them when you come out of them. It’s this whole thing called potential.

There’s so much talk about potential in our culture, as if it’s the end-all of success. Have anyone ever said about you, ’He has so much potential’? If you’re under twenty-five, consider it a compliment…your untapped or unlocked capacity…the hint of greatness not yet developed. And then you’re thirty, and you still have all this potential. Pressing forty, and you’re still full of potential. If you’re forty-five and someone looks at you and says, ‘You have so much potential,’ pause, excuse yourself, step into a closet, and have a good cry.

What was once a statement of promise is now an assessment of lost opportunity. There is a point where you’re not supposed to be full of potential; you’re supposed to be full of talent, capacity, product.

Potential is a glimpse of what could be, yet there must be a shift from where we have potential to where we are potent…When we choose to seize divine moments, we create an environment where others are released to fulfill their God-given potential.”

I think Erwin is being a little hard on those of us who are 45+!! I think it is a good thing to continue to discover potential in your life no matter what your age – as long as you are activating the potential you have had all the way along through life. Yes, lots of people have potential, and then that’s all they ever have. And that is very sad. But to continue to discover your potential is what makes life exciting no matter what your age.

Where's your potential today? Pray for me because I'm still trying to fulfill mine.

Jeff

Divine Moments 3

Today I'm reading Hebrews 11:1ff "¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible...³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

Another selection from Erwin McManus - this time from his book "Chasing Daylight."

"The book of Hebrews tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, and that this is what the ancients were commended for. It doesn’t mean they were presumptuous about God. It means they believed God for everything He promised. So it’s important to note that God does promise and what He doesn’t. He promises we can be certain about who He is and we can be certain about our relationship in Him, but how the journey plays out is full of uncertainties – the end of the story is not, though. The last chapter of human history has already been written. Jesus wins! And all who follow Him find that all along they have been more than conquerors in Christ Jesus, their Lord, He defeats death, evil suffering, sorrow, loneliness, and despair, not to mention the prince of darkness and all his demonic cohorts.

"Many times faith is confused with emotion or desire. Faith is then measured by how strongly we feel or believe something will happen. The assumption is that if our faith is great enough, we will get whatever we ask for. In fact, often we’re told that if our prayers do not result in an affirmative answer, it is because we don’t have enough faith. We simply didn’t believe strongly enough.

"In Hebrews 11, a chapter full of men and women described as people who lived by faith, we find the common characteristic that God spoke to them, called them on a journey, told them what they must do, and they did it…Faith is about character, trusting in the character of God, being certain of who God is and following Him into the unknown."

Question: Do you get caught up in the self-questioning "Do I have enough faith" trap? Today remember that faith is about the WHO (God) not about the HOW MUCH. Joni Erickson Tada - “Faith isn’t the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It’s simply taking God at His Word and taking the next step.”

Jeff

Today's prayer:

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You, let my first impulse be to worship You, let my first speech be Your name, let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer. For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:

For the love with which You love mankind:

For the love with which You love me:

For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:

For the indwelling of your Spirit in my heart:

For the sevenfold gifts of your Spirit:

I praise and worship You, O Lord.

Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You. Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day; Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Yours. Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen. (John Baillie “A Diary of Private Prayer").

Divine Moments 2

Today I'm reading Mark 9:2-8.

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

The disciples were not prepared for their divine moment. Are you? Here are some more thoughts on divine moments from Erwin McManus’ “Seizing Your Divine Moment”

"If you could capture one moment of your life, which one would it be? Some particular moment in the past? A moment of regret? How many of us haven’t spent many moments reflecting on moments lost, all the time unaware that moments lost in regret are exactly that – moments lost. If you could take a moment, seize it, and squeeze out of it all the life available within it, shouldn’t that moment be in the future rather than the past? What if you knew somewhere in front of you was a moment that would change your life forever, a moment rich with potential, a moment filled with endless possibilities? What if you knew that there was a moment coming, a divine moment, one where God would meet you in such a way that nothing would be that same again? What if there was a moment, a defining moment, where the choices you made determined the course and momentum of your future? How would you treat that moment? How would you prepare for it? How would you identify it?"

Great questions. Look for God's moments today and squeeze the life out of them!!!

Jeff

Today’s prayer: Father, so much of my life seems to be devoid of events that can be labeled important. Its content and quality will more likely be determined by my responses to the ordinary. Let me see your hand in the providences and circumstances of this day. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Divine Moments

Today I’m reading Luke 24:13-32, especially 30-32. ‘When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”’

I’ve been reading a lot of Erwin McManus lately. This week - some of his thoughts on divine moments.

“One of the Greek words from which we get the English word ‘moment’ is ‘atomos.’ You can easily see that the words ‘atom’ and ‘atomic’ come from ‘atomos.’ This is the perfect picture of what id hidden in a moment. The image of an atom reminds us of how easily we could miss a moment or even underestimate it. An atom symbolizes the smallest unit of an element. It was considered the irreducible unit. The idea was that you couldn’t get any smaller than this, which is why it is so easy to miss your moment. Like atoms, they comes in endless numbers and of insignificant stature. They’re just east to overlook and ignore.

At the same time, we have the image of the atomic hidden in the moment. With in the atomic, there is nuclear capacity derived from the rapid release of energy in the fission of heavily atomic nuclei. There is a disproportionate power in relationships to size. Fission is the act or process of splitting into parts. When you seize a divine moment, you instigate an atomic reaction. You become a human catalyst creating a divine impact. The result can even be earthshaking.

Moments are as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands in the sea, and any of them could prove to be your most significant divine moments. Within those moments, a handful will become the defining moments in your life. However mundane a moment my appear, the miraculous may wait to be unwrapped within it. You rarely know up from the eternal significance of a moment. When a moment is missed, you have a glimpse at an opportunity lost. When you dream, you look to a moment still to come. Yet the only moment that you must take responsibility for right now is the one in front of you. This is your moment. Your challenge is not seizing divine moments, but seizing your divine moment. The biblical imagery for a moment is the wink of an eye. In other words, don’t blink and you’ll miss it.”

Look for your divine moments this week!

Jeff

Today’s prayer: "Father, give me eyes to see and a heart to respond to all which will come to me this day. Forbid that I should miss its graces by looking ahead to some tomorrow. Let me accept the newness each moment brings with awareness and gratitude. In the name of the one who makes all things new. Amen."