Day 20 -- Praying for Your Husband

Here are some ways you can pray for your husband:

1) Make a list of five to ten qualities that you admire in your husband and thank God for those qualities in your husband. Song of Solomon 2:4
2) Pray that God will nourish the special friendship that you and your husband share. Pray to be a great friend to your husband: Song of Solomon 5:16
3) Pray that God will nourish the romance that you and your husband share. Pray to be a romantic companion to your husband. Song of Solomon 5:16; Proverbs 5:18-19
4) Pray that your husband will always love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Pray that he will grasp the wonder of Christ's love for us. Mark 12:30, Ephesians Chapters One and Two
5) Pray that God will fill your husband with the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5
6) Pray for your husband's purity and for your purity as well. Pray for purity of heart and motive, as well as sexual purity. I Thessalonians 5:23, Matthew 5:8
7) Pray that your husband will fix his thoughts on things which will nourish his relationship to God and not on things of the world. Phil. 4:4-8
8)Pray that God will bless your husband; that you will be a blessing in his life; that God will heal any hurts from his past and give him a holy vision for the future and fill him with hope. Numbers 6:24; Proverbs 31; Romans 15:13
9) That his faith will never fail or, if he is not a believer in Christ, that he will be saved.
10) That the word of Christ will dwell richly in him. Colossians 3:15-17

There are any number of specific requests, such as those listed above, that you can make for your husband. If we take our requests from scripture, we can be sure that they are in line with God's will. One of the greatest ways we can love our husbands is to put a lot of thought into praying for our husband's needs.

However, one area that many women struggle with in prayer is the desire to take control, rather than to leave God room to work. Can you relate to the woman who prays to the Lord for her husband, yet who feels the Lord needs her help in managing things? Have you ever been tempted to nag, wheedle, take the reins, or somehow manage your husband into being the man you want him to be, and, what's more, to make of him the man you want him to be right this instant?

So often, we pay lip service to the way that the Lord says to win our husbands to greater righteousness. God says our greatest power in winning our husbands to godliness lies in having a calm and quiet spirit, as well as a life that is reverent.

So, along with making specific requests for our husbands, we can also pray to have quiet, trusting hearts that do not give way to fear. (I Peter 3). We can surrender our husbands to God and pray for His will to be done in their lives. We can remember that God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20-21. We can also remember that He loves our husbands even more than we do and that He knows what is best for our husbands even more than we do.

There are times when we may need to talk calmly and gently to our husband about something we see that is amiss in his life, and, perhaps, we may even need to seek the aid of a godly counselor who can help. In this as in all situations, we still need to maintain a trusting heart and to avoid letting fear make us grasp for control.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day 19 -- Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home...

We need both concentrated times of prayer and also short, extemporaneous prayers throughout the day. While our relationship with God is different than our other relationships, we can draw some parallels from human interaction. With our loved ones, we set aside times to be together, but we also communicate throughout the day.

Little events throughout the day can serve as prompts to praise God and to intercede for others. Here are some examples:

1) When we write an email, a blog article, a tweet message, or a text, we do well to pray before we hit the send button. This is especially true if we are conveying emotion and not just facts.
2) When we hear an ambulance or pass an accident scene, we can pray for those in stress.
3) We can praise God and thank Him for our families and also intercede for our families in those moments right before a loved one will be arriving home from work, school, or other activity. We can also pray when we, ourselves, enter our home after having been out.
4) When the phone rings, we can thank God for friends and family and to pray that our speech will be wise, kind, and free of gossip. If we have caller I.D., we can pray specifically for the person who is calling.
5) We can carry a prayer card with us and use it as a prompt to pray when waiting for appointments, for a stop light to turn green, or while standing in a line. We can jot down on the card things we are thankful for, as well as needs we know about.
6) We can pray for families, teachers, and children when we drive or walk by a school.
7) Seeing a headline or hearing the news can give us ideas for prayer.
8) Instead of getting angry when someone cuts us off in traffic, we can ask God to bless that person.
9) If we deal with a store clerk or other customer service person, we can ask God to bless that person. This goes doubly if the person seems to be having a bad day or if the interchange does not go as we would like it to.
10) When planning menus, paying bills, or doing other desk work, we can pray.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day 18 Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home...

Our Father and Friend...

In John 14:9, Jesus told Philip, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." The first chapter of John also talks of this: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

One of the lovely qualities of God that Jesus manifests for us is His friendship. When we understand that God truly desires to have a relationship with us, it draws us closer to Him in prayer. When we meditate upon the fact that, in Jesus, God came to be with us and to save us through the cross, it brings us to our knees.

1) When the Pharisees hurled accusations against Jesus during his time on earth, one of the things they pointed to was the fact that Jesus was (is) a friend of sinners. (Luke 7:33-35) Of Himself, Jesus said that He had come to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19). Jesus taught us of the Father's great love for those who were lost in sin. (Luke 15).

It astonished the Pharisees that Jesus sought the company of people whom the religious community had written off as being hopeless causes. However, Jesus purpose was to save people, and, in light of that, He drew all manner of men and women to Himself. He knew that God could bring new life to those who were dead in sin. Where others saw hopeless failure, He saw potential. He reached out to those who were conscious of their need for salvation.

Jesus' merciful, saving friendship is offered to us today. To what lengths did He go to bring us into a relationship with Him? He died for us. This is a comfort to us when we are first rescued from our sins, and it is a comfort to us as we continue in our Christian walk.

I John 1:5-10 tells us, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our High Priest who understands our temptations, because He was tempted, too -- though without sin.

We must not be presumptuous or casual about sin. We do desire holiness, and we also put into practice the great gift of repentance that God gives us through his grace. However, in dealing with our weakness and sin, we must firmly keep in mind God's mercy and his willingness to receive and help us and forgive us when we stumble. We need to remember that, in Jesus, God is the great Friend of sinful men and women.

Sometimes, when we blow it, our instinct is like that of Adam and Eve, who pulled away from God the moment they realized that they had sinned against Him. However, God graciously sought them out, despite their attempts to hide from Him. Rather than waiting for the Lord to seek us out, we can and should run to Him for help.

Even in human relationships, our hearts are warmed when we know someone loves us warts and all. We rest in the presence of someone who overflows with mercy and a desire to help us, whatever our plight might be. We count as our dearest friends those who do not desert us in our times of greatest failure, but who build us up, instead. Likewise, the more we understand God's perfect mercy, which far outweighs any human comfort, the more we will be drawn to spend time with Him in prayer. One way to understand God's mercy is to learn all we can about Jesus, through whom God displayed his awesome mercy and kindness to the utmost.

2) Jesus was a friend to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, among others. He enjoyed staying, eating, and, most of all, teaching in their home. He welcomed Mary as she sat at his feet to learn from Him. He genuinely mourned with Mary and Martha when Lazarus died, even though He knew He was going to bring Lazarus back to them. He gently corrected Martha when her priorities got off track. Jesus loved the three and enjoyed their company.

I can't help but think that this example of the Lord's friendship was recorded for our benefit. We, too, can have homes and hearts in which the Lord delights to dwell.

We often choose and enjoy friends because of they have qualities that charm us or engage us or benefit us or complete us in some way. We most easily love our peers. Yet, who of us is the Lord's peer? Not one of us even comes close! He is infinitely above all and over all. There is no one like Him. It is certainly not because of our holiness, our wisdom, our goodness, our worthiness, our loveliness, or because we are so fascinating that the Lord seeks and enjoys friendship with us!

Paul reminds us of this in Romans 11:33-35: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"

Yet, the wonderful thing is that the Lord does love us, weak and sinful though we might be. He does take an interest in our lives. He even counts the number of hairs on a Christian's head! He loves us not because we are inherently lovable, but because He is the source of love and friendship. He enjoys those who are truly his children, and He seeks those who are lost.
In human terms, we are eager to talk with someone who welcomes us with genuine interest and friendship. We value those whose companionship is steady, rather than ebbing and flowing with our moment-to-moment performance. We feel most deeply the love of those who possess the quality of being a good friend, rather than those who love us for what they can get out of the relationship. We are hurt by "fair-weather" friends, and draw close to friends who are true.

Likewise, when we understand that God really does want to hear from us, unworthy though we know ourselves to be, we will be eager to pray. When we understand that His friendship is constant because He is faithful, we will find rest and peace as we pray. When we understand that He is the Truest friend we will ever have, we will long to be close to Him. When we understand that He is the Friend who reconciled us to Himself in friendship through the death of His Beloved Son, we will overflow with thankfulness in prayer.

If we are to pray with faith, we must not think we are a nuisance to God or that He hears us with a reluctant ear. Instead, we should remember: "Whoever comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 Part of diligently seeking Him is to open our hearts to Him in prayer.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day 17 -- 30 Days of Prayer in the Home

(Photo is section of Atlanta skyline)

Listening to God:

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Ecclesiastes 5:1

Have you ever been in a friendship with someone who did all of the talking? Have you ever felt that you were "talked at" rather than "talked with?" Have you ever felt that a relationship with someone was one sided, and that the person cared more about airing their own thoughts to the point of not really getting to know you? Or, have you, yourself, ever been in such distress that you found yourself talking and talking about your own situation? I, myself, have been on both sides of this fence.

So many in our hurting world are in need of a listening ear. Think of those who are shut in by illness or by age, or those who have been ignored by the significant people in their lives, or those who are going through an overwhelming trial. We can do people in these and other like situations a service by listening patiently as they talk about their joys, their frustrations, their sorrows, their doubts, and their faith. After we have fully listened, we may need to gently encourage our friends, for their sake and for the Lord's, to break out of a conversational self-focus. Yet, we can be sure that our willingness to listen can do great good in the lives of others.

Even though we serve by listening, we will likely find that our best and deepest relationships are those which are reciprocal, with back and forth conversation. Healthy friendships flourishes when both parties are interested in hearing and knowing each other on a deep level. In healthy friendships, both parties listen to each other and both parties talk with each other.

Thus, we do well when we are speaking to remember that we show love and respect to others when we do not dominate the conversation, but take care to hear the other person. Likewise, we must realize that we cannot learn from others or really know them if we are not paying attention to what they say. Really listening to another can be hard work, for we must focus on the speaker, ask questions to make sure we have heard correctly, and show an interest in the things that interest the speaker. We have to be careful, lest we incorrectly interpret another's words by jumping to conclusions or filtering them through our own biases.

The Bible is full of references to our need to listen, rather than to be full of our own words. This one from Proverbs always convicts me: Proverbs 18:2 A foolish man has no pleasure in good sense, but only to let what is in his heart come to light. The NIV puts it this way: A foolish man has no pleasure in good sense, but only to let what is in his heart come to light. James 1:19 is also one that I think of often: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

If it's important to listen to others and not to dominate conversations with regard to other people, how much more important is it to listen to God through His word! To say that His words are above all other words is an understatement. When God speaks, worlds come into existance. Whatever He speaks stands. Whatever He speaks is true and good and perfect. Because He is Holy and powerful beyond measure, His words are holy and powerful beyond measure, as well.

To think that God graciously speaks to us through his creation, through the Bible, through His Spirit, and through His Son is inspiring. If a celebrity we admired were to take notice of us and say even a few words to us, we'd likely be excited and tell everyone we knew. We might even savor that greeting over and over again in our minds. Likewise, if we receive a letter from a loved one, we eagerly rip it open and read it, then read it again, and , perhaps, save it among our cherished mementos. How much more exciting is it that the Sovereign Creator has written the 66 books of the Bible that we might hear his words to us!

In Jesus, God even sent His Word to us in the flesh! John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

What did God say of His son? "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" Matthew 17:5

The importance and power of God's word in our lives can't be over-stressed. "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 "There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. John 12:48"

God invites us to talk to him about anything and everything. Phil. 4:4-8. However, He also admonishes us to listen. That is an important thing to remember in our study of prayer.

Here are some verses about listening to the Lord through His word:

Isaish 55:1-3 "And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for waht does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and ocme to Me, Hear, and your soul shall live."

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. "

Matthew 13:8-10: "Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."

Matthew 13:23: "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

Hebrews 1:1-4 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs."

Hebrews 2:1-4 "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."

Revelation 3:22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

When we listen to God, we must combine what we hear with faith: Hebrews 4:1-2 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard." What is the point of listening to God, if we do not believe what He tells us?

We must also put God's word into practice. James 1:22 says, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only." If we truly believe God, we will act on His word. Real faith leads to obedience. Just as we cannot say we trust a doctor if we will not take his advice, we cannot say we trust God if we do not trustfully and respectfully obey what He tells us.

Listening to God's word must also be combined with a desire to know Him. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." The Pharisees knew the word of God backwards and forwards, yet they did not combine their hearing with faith. Thus, they completely missed the greatest opportunity in their lives. Christ stood right before them, and they did not recognize Him! Likewise, we, too, have an opportunity to recognize Christ, to be saved by Him, and to know Him. What could be more important in life?

Prayer goes hand in hand with meditating and studying the Lord's word. Before we speak, we do well to listen!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day 16 -- Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home.
(photo of Corduroy, our miniature poodle)

More tips for praying for and with family members:

1) Use the Lord's prayer as an outline for your own prayers.
2) Adapt prayers and verses in scripture as prayers for yourself, for your family members, and for others.
3) Avoid being "rote" in your prayers. Even if you use prayers others have written or scriptures to inspire your prayers, personalize them and make them your own. Always pray from the heart and avoid vain repetition.
4) The lyrics of hymns and spiritual songs provide great inspiration for prayer. Many are actually prayers that are sung. Thus, you can use the lyrics as inspiration for prayers or even sing them as part of your prayer time. When singing songs in church, don't let your mind simply go through the motions, as is so easy to do. Remember that you are likely singing a prayer to the Lord. Pay attention to the lyrics even if you have sung that particular hymn or song myriad times.
5) Teach your children how to pay attention when someone else is praying aloud in a group. They may find it helpful to mentally repeat each phrase that the person who is praying says, giving assent in their hearts. Teach them to make the prayer your own. If you are of a tradition in which those who are listening add an amen here and there when someone else is praying, teach children how to do that meaningfully and not out of habit.
If you are of a tradition where everyone is silent through another's prayer or perhaps joins in a final amen, teach your children also to keep their mind focused on what is being said to God. Help them understand that God is listening.

A few great prayers from scripture to adapt in praying for your family. (Note, these are also great for adapting as parts of letters written to encourage others):

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (An example of how to personalize: Father, may the grace of your son Jesus Christ and your love and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with our family....or with ______...or with _____ married child's family unit....or with our church.)

Ephesians 3;16-19
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 115
May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

John 17 (from Jesus prayer before cross)
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17 (from Jesus prayer before cross)
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify^b]">[them by the truth; your word is truth.

How much more happily could a wife and mother be employed than in being close to God and petitioning Him on behalf of her spouse, children, neighborhood, church, and the nations?


Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Quick post about the Nashville flooding:

This is a small pond that formed in our common area during this past weekend's flooding. It's actually pretty and was especially so when two wild ducks took up residence.

However, we live on high ground, and were not affected by the flooding as so many of our friends were. We know many whose homes were damaged or even completely lost. Some of our friends had to be evacuated, including an older couple we know who had to be evacuated by boat over road which are normally dry. Different groups of our friends were out of town for the weekend and could not get back into Nashville for a bit.

At least some of the entrances into our area were flooded, but we just stayed put until the water in those areas receded.

It will be some time before the city can assess the total amount of the damage done here. So far, 29 lives have been lost across the storm-affected areas of Tennessee, and emergency workers suspect that the final tally will be larger.

People have been stranded in homes without food. Many have run out of medicines. This is horse and farm country, so many large animals had to be rescued and evacuated and, perhaps, some are lost. Smaller animals have been separated from owners and are pouring into the animal shelters. Whole sections of roads, parking lots, and other surfaces have been destroyed. Our famous Grand Old Opry, as well as the Opryland hotel and the Opry Mills shopping center were greatly damaged by flood.

Many people are still without lights and electricity. Our county's schools are closed, as are those in many other counties. Also, there are still some areas around here where people are in need of food and medical help, that as of yesterday, could not be reached by emergency workers.

Speaking of emergency workers, many police, fireman, utility personnel, medical personnel, and others have been working round the clock, going without sleep, in order to rescue people and try to minimize the potential harm to life and property. Often, new crews could not make it to the areas where they were needed, so the ones in place just had to keep on going without sleep. Many risked their lives to help others. A few ended up in situations where they were overcome by flooding, and, they, themselves, had to be rescued.

In perhaps the most famous news image of the flooding here, a school portable broke loose from its place and floated down a major Interstate. Portions of our major Interstates had to be closed. Since Nashville is a connection point for I-65, I-24, and I-40, this affects not only our local citizen, but an amazing amount of through traffic.

Well before the two day storm was over, they were announcing on the news that we had already received over one third of the amount of rain that we would normally receive over the course of a year. Since we live in an area with frequent rain, this is quite a lot of water.

We are having to conserve water, as treatment plants have been underwater, making it impossible for all that water to be treated.

The food waters rose so quickly that they spilled over a wide area. Most of the flood damage occurred in places that have not experienced flooding before. Thus, most victims of the flood don't have flood insurance and will not be able to collect insurance money for lost homes and possessions.

Since Nashville is a tourist area, many tourists were among those who had to be evacuated to temporary shelters. We also depend on conventions for a lot of our revenue. Yet, many scheduled conventions will have to be moved elsewhere, as the facilities will not be in shape to receive them.

Many companies have not been able to carry on as usual. Even government buildings and operations have been affected.

We do have a series of dams around here, and fortunately, our dams held strong. The Corps of Engineers were able to control the release of some of the flood waters in an effort to minimize their path through the area. As unimaginably bad as the flooding has been, it could have been worse. There's been some controversy about the Corps management of the flood, as some think that they could have done a better job and prevented some of the flood deaths. I'm not qualified to speak to that. However, as some of the havoc in New Orleans was due to burst dams and levees, I'm counting it as a blessing that the dams did not crumble under the power of this unprecedented flood.

On a happy note, this is the third day of sunshine, so we are all rejoicing. Though there are still plenty of floodwaters around, the sun is helping to dry things. Another great thing to see is how the people of the city have pulled together. Many volunteered to help with rescues and evacutations. Others have volunteered at the animal shelters or have donated supplies. Many are helping friends clean up and salvage what they can.

Enjoy!
elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home...

Day 15

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us...

To me, this is a challenging thought. We are to petition God to forgive us as we forgive others. That always sobers me and helps me to check my heart, to see if I am harboring unforgiveness in any form.

The amount of grace and forgiveness that the Lord pours on each one of us is unfathomable. The cost that Christ paid with his blood for us to be forgiven is likewise unimaginable. How hypocritical it is when we, then, turn around and refuse to forgive others. (See Matthew Chapter 18)

Forgiveness is not easy. The scope of this article is too short to do an exhaustive study of how to forgive others and how to accept forgiveness for ourselves. Here are a few suggestions that I hope are helpful:

1) Study every reference to the cross, especially to the passages that show us how Jesus entrusted his own hurt to the Father and, thus, was able to look down in compassion and say, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." Pray to be able to forgive as the Lord forgives us.
2) Pray about and journal about how grateful you are for the forgiveness that the Lord has given to you. Meditate frequently about the Lord's grace and mercy.
3) Realize that forgiveness does not come about by excusing another person's sin or by denying that someone has caused you pain. Neither can you truly forgive by telling yourself that the other person's transgression is somehow all your fault, though we do have to take some responsibility if our sin really did contribute to the situation. Sometimes, when people are deeply hurt as children, the coping mechanism they try is to absorb all of the blame themselves. This can become a lifetime pattern for dealing with any hurt and breeds a fear of being honest about how we really feel and what we really think. Yet, pretending that an offense "was no big deal" or that we brought the pain on ourselves does not not bring about true forgiveness. Christ is the only one who can bear a person's sin. True forgiveness acknowledges the hurt honestly, but says, "I have been forgiven so abundantly. I forgive you, as the Lord forgives me."
4) Deep hurts leave scars that can come to mind when we hear or see something that brings up old memories. Once you have truly acknowledged the pain that someone has caused you and you have committed to forgive it to the Lord, don't be shocked if a painful thought surfaces again. Simply remind yourself that you have already forgiven this. Pray about it and surrender it to the Lord. Refuse to dwell on the matter. Turn your mind to something more positive. Gradually, the pain will lesson.
5) We sometimes try to deal with inner pain by blaming another person or persons for everything that hurts in our life. We not only hold that person's actual sins over his or her head, we also blame him or her for our own sins, as well. Again, this does not bring about true forgiveness and peace. Christ is the only person who can bear the sins of the world. If we need help sorting out issues of this kind, we can ask the Lord to bring light and truth to the situation. We can also talk things through with a godly friend, who can help us to see things more clearly.
6) Pray for those that hurt you or persecute you. Always have in your heart a prayer that someone who offends you might be reconciled to God. If we are praying for another person's welfare, we won't be as likely to harbor bitterness in our hearts. We may need prayer and wisdom to determine what our relationship with the forgiven person will be from heron out. But, whatever happens, we must remember that unforgiveness is never an option for the child of God.
7) Realize the power of forgiveness. Think what God has accomplished through forgiveness. Meditate on examples of forgiveness, such as the amazing forgiveness shown by the Amish people affected by the school shooting. Acknowledge to the Lord that His way, the way of forgiveness, is best, and ask for His help in truly being able to forgive.

Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home -- Day 14

Give us this Day our Daily Bread...

Remember the manna that God caused to fall in the dessert for the Israelites? God's instructions were that they were to gather one day's supply only, except on the day before the Sabbath when they could gather enough for that day and for the Sabbath, too. This reminds us, among other things, that we are daily dependent on the Lord for physical and spiritual bread.

We often think of our job as the ultimate source of our earthly needs. Yet, it is God who gave the original man and woman work to do and it is God who enables us to work now. It is God who made food and the materials we use for shelter, and God who made the materials we use for clothing. (Even synthetic fibers are made from using chemicals that God created.) Understanding that the Lord is the source of our sustenance enables us to work as we should, yet without either becoming overly confident about our own abilities or despondent and fearful if our income is threatened in some way.

Keepers at home are involved with the daily physical needs of our families. We oversee the household management, take stock of what's in pantry, cook meals, outfit our family members, do the laundry and the mending, and other things that contribute to our family's physical well-being. It's wise to set about these tasks prayerfully, remembering that the Lord is the wellspring of our lives. He loves and cares for our family members even more than we do. We can ask Him for wisdom concerning time management. We can ask Him to help us do our tasks with love. We can ask Him to help us stretch our food budget.

Jesus tells us that God knows our earthly needs before we even ask Him. Yet, he invites us to lay our needs before Him, just as we want our children to come to us. As confident children of the Lord and as citizens of His kingdom, we are to pray about everything and to accompany our petitions with thanksgiving. (Phil. 4:4-8)

What about those who do not see their earthly needs being met at the moment? If we have enough for sustenance and some to share, the Lord asks us to reach out to those in need. Most of us who live in the United States have much to give to those who are in want.

Ultimately, our greatest hunger is for spiritual food, and that is always freely given to those who beg for it. Luke 11:9-13 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Jesus is our life. He is the vine upon which we exist. He is the bread from heaven. These and many more images in the gospels, particurly in the book of John, inspire us with a daily, passionate desire to be connected to our Lord, along with overwhelming gratitude for the life He gives us. Apart from Jesus, we die and wither; with Jesus, we thrive and are fruitful. (John 15).

Just as it pains us to see people in physical hunger, it likewise pains us to see people in spiritual hunger and want. We are beggars who have been invited to enjoy God's feast, and we love to invite other beggars to this wonderful banquet. (Matthew 22:2 ff; 2 Kings 7)

Just as we can start thinking of our job and our abilities as the source of our physical sustenance, we can start thinking of our righteousness as being a source of our spiritual life. We can forget that we were saved by grace and that we daily live by grace. To become self-righteous, rather than to depend on the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, leads to all sorts of spiritual havoc. Thus, it is good for us to daily petition the Lord for our spiritual sustenance. This helps us remember and appreciate the Lord's graciousness.

Though keepers at home deal with the physical needs of the family, we must not forget that the spiritual needs of the family are even more important. Some ways we can nourish our family spiritually are to cultivate a Christ-like attitude in all that we do, to pray for our spouse and children, to teach our children God's word, and to talk with our children about spiritual things.

There is a long-time misunderstanding in the religious world that place grace and good works almost in opposition to each other. We understand that when it comes to our physical needs, an out-of-work family breadwinner would be foolish to ask God to provide for daily bread and, yet, willfully turn down a job offer that He places in the breadwinner's path. Likewise, we understand that a keeper at home would be foolish to ask God for daily bread and, yet, fail either to make it or purchase it with the means the Lord provides and serve the bread to her family.

In the same way, we show that we do not understand God's grace if we ask for our spiritual sustenance, and, yet, turn away from the good works that He puts before us. We are not to think that we can enjoy God's grace and yet willfully live any way that we want to. (Hebrews 6:1-8) We are, however, to remember that everything that we are and everything that we have comes from the Lord. Our works do not save us, but we work because we are saved.

When we understand that God is our wellspring of life, we will be frequently -- even daily -- in prayer. We will be at peace, because we believe He answer us, sometimes even before we ourselves know to ask. We rest in the confidence that our Lord provides us with everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)

(Photo taken during trip to Atlanta aquarium)

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer -- Day 13

Thy Will be Done...

Jesus said of His relationship with His heavenly Father, "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." John 8:29

Nowhere was this heart made more manifest to us than in his obedience to the cross. He prayed intensely that there might be some other way to accomplish the Father's work, yet He prayed even more that God's will would be done. Matthew tells us, "And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'" Matthew 26:39

Because Jesus was sinlessly obedient to God, even to the point of death, He was able to save us from our sins. He endured the cross, as Hebrews tells us, with a view of the joy set before Him -- that men and women might be saved from their sins and reconciled to God. He knew that obedience to God in this fallen world might be painful at times, but it always yields the harvest of heavenly love, peace, and joy.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, His petitioned God that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is an extension of His prayer for God's kingdom to come. After all, heaven is a place in which God's will is perfectly carried out. Don't we all long for heaven?

The misery of the world began with an act of disobedience to God. Since then, we have all sinned and have been sinned against. We have experienced in ourselves and in the world alarming tendancies such as pride, selfishness, irritability, impatience, rudeness, harshness, religious hypocrasy, doubt, blame-shifting, lust, impurity, coarseness, divisions in families and church and neighborhood, arguments, self-righteousness, harmful self-indulgence, addiction, indifference to the suffering of others, materialism, ingratitude, rebellion toward parents and other godly authority, divorce, abusive parenting, the desire to control others for selfish gain, wars, death both spiritual and physical, and all other manner of ills.

By contrast, righteousness, peace, and joy are found wherever there is whole-hearted obedience to the Lord. For example, a home in which all members were totally committed to the Lord's will would be characterized by thoughtfulness, kindness, mercy, love, humility, truthfulness, generosity, words that build up and do not tear down, respect for each family member, respect for parents and other godly authority, harmony, dependability, faithfulness to promises and vows, purity, lasting marriages, unity, self-control, the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, concern for others, healthy parenting, gratitude, wholesome enjoyment of God's creation, a willingness to work out differences peacefully, honor for the aged, care for the young, wholesome productivity, and all the goodness of the fragrance of Christ. Extrapolate the blessings of such devotion to the Lord's will out to our church, our neighborhood, and our world, and you can imagine how radically different our world would be if the Lord's will were done here just as completely as in heaven.

It doesn't take a genious to realize that our sin-sick world desparately needs God's kingdom and His righteousness. Yet, a prayer for God's will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven starts in the most challenging of places -- with a request that God's will be done in our own individual life. We cannot honestly pray for others to do God's will without first surrending our will daily to the Lord's. As much as we know that God's will is always best, we need help in overcoming our temptations to fear, selfishness, pride and other things that might block our obedience.

In order to develop and maintain a whole-hearted devotion to the Lord's will, we must pray as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane. If He, who was without sin, needed to pray to gain strength for the cross, how much more should we depend on God's grace and mercy to help us do His will? This dependence on the Lord cannot simply be a one-time request or a formulaic statement; it must be our heart's beat. If we love our heavenly Father, we will desire more than anything to please Him and to do His will.

We simply do not have within ourselves what it takes to be fully committed to the Lord's will. We need His Spirit working within us. God blesses us by turning our hearts to Him and by teaching us His good ways. Our desire to please our beloved Father, coupled with our awareness of How much we need Him, should drive us to our knees in praise and petition.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:11-13

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty One Days of Prayer -- Day 12

Thy Kingdom Come...

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
Hebrews 12:28

The Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven as Matthew calls it, was deeply on Jesus' heart.

John announced Jesus coming with the words, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:2.

Likewise, Jesus begins his ministry with the message of the kingdom. Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:14. See also Matthew 4:17, Matthew 4:23

The sermon on the Mount describes the values and citizens of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven stands in opposition to the values of the kingdom of this world. It took some time for the followers of Jesus in his day to realize that the promised kingdom is a spiritual one, rather than the physical one that they had expected. In fact, not until after Jesus died and was resurrected did they fully understand.

During the time between Jesus' resurrection and his ascension, he was still teaching his disciples about God's kingdom: To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

Jesus had said that he would give Peter the keys to the kingdom. "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18ff

Peter preached the first sermon of salvation to the Jews, opening the door for them to enter the kingdom of heaven. Acts Chapter 2 Likewise, he also preached the first sermon to the gentiles, opening the door for them to come in, as well. Acts Chapter 10.

The apostles of Jesus preached the message of the kingdom. For examples, see Acts 8:12; Acts 14:22; Acts 19:8; Acts 28:23. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts, the gospel is often referred to as being the gospel of the kingdom. See Matthew 9:35 for an example.

Throughout the new testament, the kingdom is spoken of as both a present event and a future event. In one sense, the kingdom of God has come to us in Jesus and his church and wherever Christ reigns in the lives of men and women. In another sense, we are still waiting for the fullness of the kingdom, which we will experience when the Lord returns again.

As mentioned earlier in this series, the Christian's true citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven. Our values are to be heavenly ones, not worldly ones. Likewise, our actions should reflect hearts set on being ambassadors of God's kingdom. We want others to know the goodness of God's kingdom and for them to be rescued from "the domain of darkness, and transferred...to the kingdom of His beloved Son". Col. 13

Jesus tells us in Matthew 13 that "...the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." The kingdom of heaven is worth more than the sum total of everything we think we possess in this world.

If the kingdom is so precious to the Lord and to us, should it not be a great subject of our prayers? If we are unsure about how to pray for the kingdom, we can begin by studying Jesus' teachings about the Kingdom of heaven and the Kingdom of God. (Matthew refers to the Kingdom of God as the Kingdom of Heaven. Some scholars think this is because Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience who would have had such great respect for the name of God and such a reluctance to use it too frequently that they would be more comfortable with the term "Kingdom of Heaven". The intended readers of Mark, Luke, and John, on the other hand, might have needed the term spelled out more specifically as the "Kingdom of God".)

"Thy kingdom come" is not just a phrase to be said, but is to be, along with knowing and honoring the Lord, the chief concern of our lives. When it is so, then we will naturally pray about it.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home...Day 11

Hallowed be thy name....

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" I Peter 1:13-16

As we've mentioned, Jesus advises us to start our prayer with a recognition of God's holiness. God is unlike any other, and His holiness is the essence of that "otherness". It is also the essence of his absolute perfection. In Isaiah 55:9, God declares, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

He is the great "I Am", the Self-Existent One. He is the source of all good qualities and things and the standard for all goodness, as well. We know love, because love is an attribute of God. His love is pure and holy, far above the way that fallen humans attempt to love. His goodness is pure and holy and; his justice is pure and holy; his wisdom is pure and holy; his mercy is pure and holy. God's essential being is totally free from any flaw, any sin, any mistake, any impurity, and any failing. Whatever attribute of Himself that God discloses to us, we can be sure that it is both spotless and infinitely, wholly complete. There is nothing lacking in the attributes or nature of God.

Everything that God created was holy and good, because it sprang from our holy and good Creator. Thus, when God created man and woman and the animals and the world, He pronounced them "good". Our goodness was not something we came up with by our own power, but something that our Good Creator put in us. Since God made us in his image, He made us to share some of His wonderful attributes. We were holy, set apart for God's purpose, and in intimate, unbroken communication with Him.

However, when man and woman sinned and sin entered the world, we mingled sin along with the godly attributes we were created with. Sin created a new barrier in our relationship with a holy God. Our once intimate, unbroken communication with God was now broken. As Romans 3 tells us, every one of us since has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Thus, even though many people reject God and His ways, even the most wicked among us has some dim and concept that life should consist of good things, like justice, peace, and joy. The most adamant unbeliever will cry "That's not fair" if they sense someone is treating them unfairly. Thus, by their words, he betrays some idea that there is such a thing as justice and fairness -- though he may not understand that justice and fairness originate in God. The unbeliever's concept of God and holiness is perverted and the wicked seek after the wrong things in order to satisfy their longings.

Likewise, even the most devout follower of Jesus fails to attain holiness solely by his or her own effort. We may try with all of our heart, for example, to love our neighbor, but, in the end, find that our love is polluted by a drop of selfish ambition and diminished by a pinch of unjustified anger. We grow weary of loving someone who doesn't love us back. We expect rewards for our love. Or, we spoil the person we love or make of our loved one an idol or in some other way do harm when we mean to do good. Or, our love may be genuine and true, but we are powerless to act for our loved one's good in a certain situation. We need grace to help us love as God loves and as He teaches us to love. Likewise, we need grace to help us be righteous, pure, just, faithful, peaceful, joyful, etc.

God's holiness and our sin are incompatible. However, God still loves us and reaches out to restore our broken relationship with Him. He wants to recreate His image in us and to make us holy, set apart for His purpose as we were meant to be. Thus, God provided us with a Savior who "who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:14

It is because of what Jesus has done for us that we can now "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16. Upon our true conversion, we are cleansed by the Lord's blood. This blood continues to cleanse us from all sin, provided that we walk in the light. I John Chapters 1 and 2. We no longer live for self and sin, but for the Lord. God counts us as holy and also continues to work holiness in us. God matures us more and more into the image of his Son. Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24; Romans 12:2; I Peter 1:14-15. Through it all, it is the Savior's blood that purifies us and makes us holy, enabling us to come into our Father's holy presence. We are justified freely by his blood. Romans 3:23.

God's holiness is at once comforting and sobering. It is sobering in part because His holiness exposes our lack of holiness. Indeed, when we truly recognize God's holiness, we also see our utter spiritual poverty. For the humble, that's a good place to be; Jesus says that those who see their spiritual poverty are blessed.

God's holiness also reminds us that we will be accountable to Him for how we live our lives. Hebrews 12:28-29 tells us, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire."

This awe-inspiring holiness of God can be comforting if we let it be. If we do not flee the light, but come to the Lord in humility and honesty, we will find grace and mercy. John 3:20-21; I Peter 5:5 God's holiness may bring judgment to those who reject Jesus, but it builds humility, faith, truth, and purity in those who love Him and seek an ever- deepening relationship with Him.

God's holiness is comforting, because we know that God's dealings with us are always perfect, always righteous, and always holy. We need never fear, for example, that His love for us is tainted with selfishness or partiality. The Scriptures tell us that God shows no favoritism. God does not judge us as the world judges us, by superficial things. We can trust that, that in His love, He always does what is best for us. His infinite, holy love is accompanied by infinite, holy wisdom and infinite, holy power. God always has in mind the best interests of the ones He loves, and He has the power and the wisdom to carry out what is best for us. We may not understand what He is doing in the moment, but we can trust that He does and that it will work for our good.

God's holiness means that He is free of hypocrisy, deceit, selfish manipulation, and free of all of the sins that can do damage in even the closest, most sincere human relationships. If all others around us fail us or if we fail ourselves, God will still be true. We can count on that. His holiness is a spring of fresh, pure water. It refreshes us when we are weak, when we need forgiveness, when we are disappointed, and when we are desperate to find grace and truth.

Why is it important to begin our prayers with a name of God, such as Our Father, and a recognition of the holiness of his name? With foundation in scripture, the Jews understood that the name of a person represented more than a label or a way to get someone's attention. A person's represented the true identity of the person to whom you were referring. This was especially true of God's holy name. Likewise, God's Names conveyed his authority as well. Thus, to regard God's name as holy and to treat it as holy is to regard God, himself, as being holy. Also, the prayer points to the coming of God's kingdom in all of its fullness, when God's name will be honored by all. What could be more delightful to us than reverencing God's name and helping others to know and honor God, too.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home...Day 10

In Heaven Part II.

One of my favorite passages about heaven and about prayer is this: And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8

How wonderful to know Jesus frees Christians from their sins and makes them to be a kingdom and priests to serve God forever. When we pray, our prayers rise up to the Lord in heaven with a sweet savor like the incense offered by priests in the Old Testament.

As Octavious Winslow says, "It is the merit of our Immanuel, who gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savor, that imparts virtue, prevalence, and acceptableness to the incense of prayer ascending from the heart of the child of God. Each petition, each desire, each groan, each sigh, each glance, comes up before God with the smoke of the incense which ascends from the cross of Jesus, and from the golden altar which is before the throne. All the imperfection and impurity which mingles with our devotions here, is separated from each petition by the atonement of our Mediator, who presents that petition as sweet incense to God. See your Great High Priest before the throne! See him waving the golden censer to and fro! See how the cloud of incense rises and envelops the throne! See how heaven is filled with its fragrance and its glory! Believer in Jesus, upon the heart of that officiating High priest your name is written; in the smoke of the incense which has gone up from that waving censer, your prayers are presented. Jesus? blood cleanses them―Immanuel's merit perfumes them―and our glorious High Priest thus presents both our person and our sacrifice to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God. Oh wonderful encouragement to prayer!"

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! Psalm 141:2

Day 9 -- Thirty Days of Prayer in the Home

In Heaven...

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21

Jesus began his model prayer by addressing God as our Father in Heaven. What makes heaven "heaven"? To me, it is the very presence of God that makes heaven what it is. Yet, so often in prayer, I want to dive into the troubles of my day, confessions of sin, and the petitions of my heart before actually focusing on God, Himself! I am so grateful that Jesus reminds us to begin our prayers first by lifting up our eyes to God's throne. We begin best in prayer by praising God's holiness and love.

It helps me in prayer to remember that God has a heavenly point of view. He sees the beginning and the end and the whole big picture in between. His holiness, wisdom, love, and power are Infinite. While the Lord does want us to bring everything to him in prayer (Phil.4:4-8), He also teaches us to express praise and thanksgiving. If I praise the Lord for who He is, it helps my own heart. Then, everything else that I bring before God falls into place.

Not only that, but addressing God and who He is and upon the fact that he reigns from heaven keeps our prayers from becoming a check-list of requests. Expressing our reverence and love for God at the beginning of our prayers honors him. It also helps our hearts, for it impresses upon us God's greatness and our humble dependence upon Him. It reminds us that the purpose of prayer is relationship with the Lord. It invites us into deeper intimacy with the One who created us and knows our needs before we even ask.

In one sense, the kingdom of heaven has already come to those who are Christians. Philippians 3:20 tells us that Christians already posses citizenship in heaven. Colossians 1:13 tells us, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." If we have truly become Christians, we are subjects of God's kingdom now and no longer are citizens of the kingdom of this world. The kingdom of heaven is in our hearts, and we are in the kingdom of heaven. God's Spirit dwells within us.

Yet, in another sense, we do not yet possess the kingdom of heaven in all of its fullness. We are somewhat like citizens of a country who live abroad from our native land. We enjoy where we are now, and we serve and love the people around us. Yet, we look forward to going home. We eagerly wait for the time when Jesus will come back and take us to be with Him forever.

In John 14:1-2, Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." I John 3:2-3 tells us, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

Understanding that we will live in heaven and that we will see the face of our Lord and Savior, should give peace to all who are truly disciples of Jesus. The journey of life is easier if you are assured of your destination. It's also nicer when you look forward to a welcome from the One whom you love best, as well as those who have gone home before you.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Wednesday 4/7/10

Day 8 Thirty Days of Prayer

Our Father...

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, He began by addressing God as "Our Father". Prayer is first and foremost a relationship with our Father in Heaven. He loves us, and He wants us to love him back. God wants us to know Him and to be in relationship with Him. In John 17, Jesus tells us, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." God speaks to us through his Word and through His working in our lives. We speak (and listen) to Him in prayer and by living our lives in Christ's service.

As our loving Father, God wants us to approach Him with a loving, trusting, and joyful heart. He also tells us that we can approach His throne of grace and mercy with confidence. Yet, if your relationship with your earthly father was less than ideal, it may be hard for you to grab hold of a wholesome view of God as the Heavenly Father. In prayer and through studying God's word, however, you can begin to build a picture of God that is based in truth. Another way to grow in understanding God as Father is to accept the love of other Christians, who model, though imperfectly, God's love to us.

It's good to pray through verses that help us understand God's attribute of Fatherhood. Some examples of these passages are as follows:

Luke 15:1-end, Psalm 68:5; Matthew 6:9; Matthew 7:11; Romans 8:15; I Peter 1:17, Genesis 1:1-end; John 1:12; Romans 8:14; Php. 2:15; I John 3:1; Ephesians 5:8; I Thessalonians 5:5; Romans 8:17;Gal. 3:29; Matthew 12:49-50; Ephesians Chapter One;
2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:4-7; the book of Hosea; Isaiah 40:11; Philippians 4:4-8; I Peter 5:7; Isaiah 46:4; Matthew 11:28-29; Revelation 21:3-4; Psalm 147:3; Proverbs 8:27-31;

We can know God as Our loving Father because of what Jesus has shown us and what He has done for us. "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matthew 11:27.

We must grasp both our Father's tender love for us and His awesome holiness. We pray to a God who welcomes us into a relationship with Him and who graciously forgives and saves us from our sins. Yet, He is also a God whom we should fear properly. Humility before our Heavenly Father is a foundation of true prayer.

Some verses that help us keep this balance in perspective are as follows:

I Timothy 6:15-15; Isaiah 55:8; Ezekiel 1:27-28; Isaiah 6:1-8; Ephesians 3:20-21; Isaiah 40:12; I Peter 1:3-16; Hebrews 12:28-29; Deuteronomy 10:12; Ecclesiastes 5:1; John 2:16;
Matthew 10:28; I Peter 1:17; I Peter 2:17 Ps. 25:12; Psalm 31:19; Luke 1:50; Acts 10:35;

It is easy for us to go off in one extreme or the other with regard to our view of God. Some of us may understand God's holiness and justice adequately, but we may miss the depths of His tender mercy and grace. Some of us may attempt to hide our hearts behind formulaic worship; others may be too casual or perhaps even lackadaisical in a relationship with God. Some may think often of the Lord's grace, yet may not fully acknowledge His power, His holiness, and His justice. Camping out on either extreme will damage our view of the Lord.

Remembering that the Lord is our Father can help us keep a healthy balance in our prayer life. Even a human father, if he is wise, will be approachable, loving, and full of grace. Yet, he will also inspire respect and obedience. How much more does our perfect Heavenly Father deserve our childlike confidence in His love and mercy, as well as healthy fear and the utmost reverence!

God is Father to each Christian. Yet, as Jesus prayed, He is also "Our" Father. If we have truly become Christians, we have been reborn into the Lord's family. We relate to other Christians as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Understanding this gives richness to times when we pray with or for other Christians.

All of us can mature in our understanding of God. Doing so is worth the effort. Knowing and loving God is the most precious thing we can do. It also is the basis for relating to Him through prayer.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day 7 -- Thirty Days of Prayer

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

1) It is the Lord who builds the house. Reminding ourselves of this enables us to cast our burdens on the Lord in prayer and to live and to sleep peacefully. We will work hard when it's time to work hard, rest and enjoy when it's time to rest and enjoy, and sleep when it's time to sleep -- all with a peaceful outlook.
2) Pray about the Lord's house -- His church. Make this a priority. Jesus died for the church, His bride, and He cares about it passionately. If we care about Jesus, we will care for His household, as well. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5;25-27 Study the letters of Paul and notice his prayers for the various churches. Follow the example of Epaphras ( Col. 4:12), who wrestled in prayer for churches.
3) Pray about your household's spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. Pray for wisdom to keep and manage your household. Pray for your husband to be a man of prayer (if you are married.) If you wish your husband to be a stronger spiritual leader in the home, the way to accomplish this is not to nag, but to set an example of a chaste and reverent life and to pray. (I Peter 3).
4) There are times when we will sacrifice sleep for a good cause. Paul speaks of sleepless nights spent in the service of the gospel. As keepers at home, we, too, may find ourselves sacrificing some sleep at times in the service of the gospel and in the service of our family. For example, we might get up to nurse a newborn, sit by the beside of the aged or dying, or spend extra time in prayer one night. Also, as we age, we may find it harder to sleep than when we were younger. It is one thing, however, to lose sleep for a good cause when appropriate and quite another to create sleepless nights for ourselves because we are involved in anxious toil or anxious watching. Some ideas for peaceful sleep are
a) Pray about your need for sleep. If you must miss sleep, pray also that the Lord will provide you strength for the next day and a time to recover you sleep needs later on.
b) Pray about the activities you take on. Are you truly doing the works the Lord has prepared for you in advance, or are you adding unnecessary business to your schedule that ends up making you fretful and restless? Are you working from grace or from human effort? Are you seeking to please the Lord and serve people, or are you looking too much to the approval of people for your security? (Ephesians 2:1-10) Pray, seek the advice of your husband (if you are married) and of godly women who can help you think through your schedule.
c) Allow yourself a short transition period (15 minutes) from the business of your day and evening to quietness. During this time do something soothing, such as pray, snuggle with hubby, drink a cup of milk, listen to soothing music, take a bubble bath, do some quiet activity, read, etc. This little quiet period calms the body down and readies it for sleep.
d) Keep a notebook by your bed. If you are about to fall asleep, and you think of a wonderful project that you just can't wait to get started on, you might find yourself returning to a physical state of readiness for activity. If that happens, try jotting your project ideas in a notebook, pray about it, and let it go for the time being. In this way, you will signal to yourself that you are not forgetting the project, but that you will tend to it at a more appropriate time. Likewise, if any worries come to you, pray about them, jot them down in your notebook and write that you have prayed about them, and let them go. Also, you might think of a task you didn't get to or think of before. That's ok. There is no need to stay up in anxious toil. Jot down the task in your notebook and attend to it when you can. The ultra perfectionists may have to prayerfully learn how to live with the fact that some things might not get done in a day or might not have turned out the way the perfectionist planned. Those of us who tend toward the oppostie side and don't put our whole heart into our work might find ourselves restless at night because we did not engage in enough wholesome, whole-hearted work during the day. In either case, pray about it, leave it to the Lord, get a good night's sleep, and get up to a brand new day.
e) Avoid news shows, news articles, blogs, etc., that focus on what is bad in the world, especially right before you go to bed. It's one thing to inform ourselves about what is going on in the world; it's another thing all together to let the media remind us of frightening or unhappy things over and over again. It is better to get our daily news in one short dose and, otherwise, to meditate more on God's providential care than about disasters and political happenings. Remember Psalm 37 reminds us not to fret because of what godless men and women might be planning or doing. Nothing man can think up can thwart God's purposes for your life, the lives of your family members, and the world.
f) Did you know that the TV and the computer emit a certain kind of light that can interfere with your brain's natural sleep patterns? If you are someone who does not easily fall asleep, you may find that it is best to avoid TV and the computer for at least thirty minutes before bedtime. Even if you are looking at something wholesome and restful, you might find that it bothers your body's rhythms. Taking a nightly break from these things might encourage more peaceful sleep.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day Six -- Thirty Days of Prayer

1) Romans 8:26-27 The Spirit also helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we should but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit of God helps and intercedes for Christians. Does that thought encourage you?

2) David prayed, "Create in me a pure heart." Psalm 51:10-13. This request occurs in his prayer of repentance for his sin with Bathsheba. However, it's a good thought for all of us to remember in our conversations with the Lord. In order to have pure hearts, we must appeal to God, for it is He who creates pure hearts within us. We may be able to make some superficial changes in our lives by human discipline, but we will never achieve a truly cleansed and changed heart by our own power. In fact, it is prideful and useless to substitute our own self-righteousness for the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ and that is by grace. If we beg God to change us, however, He will. This is not to say that we must not practice godly discipline; God does call us to exercise the gift of self-control. He does command us to put off sin and to put on the traits of a Christ-like character. However, the strength and grace to do this ultimately come from God, and we do well in our prayers to express our complete and total dependence on Him.

More suggestions for praying wives and mothers.

Day 5 Thirty Days of Prayer...

1) When you are folding clothes, pray for the person who's clothing you are folding. Or, if you are cleaning someone's room, pray for the person or people who sleep there.
2) Make a mental or written list of things you admire or are grateful for in your husband. Thank God for these things. Do the same for your parents, your children, and for other people in your life. Cultivating prayerful gratitude for the relationships in your life will not only do wonders for your attitude, it will help you to love others more deeply. At some point, you will most likely feel tension or experience conflict in one or another of your relationships. If so, it's good to remind yourself that a relationship which may be painful in the moment also has its blessings. Follow Paul's example. Even when he needed to address serious failings in various churches, he began and/or ended his letters with expressions of love and thanksgiving for the good things that God was doing in the lives of the Christians. 3) Pray for sin to be revealed in your own heart. Pray for God to grant you repentance and forgiveness. Pray for the faith to see your sin in the light of God's grace and with the heart to repent, so that you will not be overwhelmed by it. Pray to be humble, no matter how your sin is revealed to you. Pray to be able to put off sin and to put on righteousness. Seeing our sin is painful, but it's better to see it and turn to the Lord in repentance than to let it fester in the heart. Remember Proverbs 28:13 -- People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Remember also I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Recognizing and repenting of sins is freeing and refreshing. The opportunity to repent is a blessing from the Lord.
4) Likewise, pray for sin in your children's heart to be revealed. Pray that God will bring to light anything that you need to know. Pray that your children will recognize their sin and turn from it. Pray that God will reveal any dangers in their lives that need attending to. Sometimes, your children may innocently find themselves in situations which could be harmful to them, so pray that will be brought to light as well.
5) Pray when you are cooking. Whether you love to cook or whether you don't, pray to prepare this meal with love. Ask the Lord to help you enjoy preparing the meal. Pray that your mealtime will be a time when your family connects with each other. Pray for your and your family's daily bread, including spiritual and physical nourishment. Meditate and pray about Jesus being the true bread from heaven.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day IV. Moms and Prayer

I once met a woman who had questioned her faith during her college years. She had actually tried to walk away from the Lord. Yet, her parents had raised her to pray before every meal, and she could not quit doing that. God's answers to her prayers at mealtimes during her period of struggle saved her faith. Even though she was going through the motions, it connected her heart to God's.

It's vital that we teach our children to pray. It's also vital that we, as moms, stay connected to God in prayer, as well. Here are some ideas for praying Moms.

1) From birth, bathe your baby in an atmosphere of prayer. Sometimes, you may find it a struggle to find a quiet moment. Yet, you can always pray when nursing or feeding baby a bottle, changing baby's diaper, taking baby for a stroll, etc. If you develop a practice of praying for your baby as you go about your day, you'll find it more natural to teach your child to pray along with you at times.
2) Begin to pray early for your child's future spouse (or for the Lord to make it clear if your child is to serve him as a single person). Pray for the family of your child's future spouse. When the child becomes old enough, you can teach your child what to look for and pray for in a mate. You can also teach your children how to surrender the time of waiting or even lifelong single-hood to the Lord.
3) As soon as your child is old enough to say even the simplest of prayers, pray with the child at meals and at bedtime. Pray together as a family before leaving on a trip. Pray together for relatives, people at church, people in your neighborhood, people in need. Pray and thank God when happy things happen. Pray prayers of rejoicing for your family and also for the good things that happen to others. Use different occasions as times to pray.
4) Set up a world map somewhere in your house and pray for the people in different countries. Select a country for each day, or pray about a country for a week or so in order to have time to study and learn about the country you are praying for.
5) As is age-appropriate, help your child memorize portions of the psalms, especially portions of praise and thanksgiving. Look for great prayers of praise and thanksgiving throughout the scriptures and memorize those portions.

Enjoy!
elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer -- Day III

Forgive! Forgive! Forgive!!

Jesus told us, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." (Mark 11:25) He also told us, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44.

Jesus demonstrated this for us when He was on the cross. "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."" Luke 23:24. He also demonstrates His merciful forgiveness to us every day, whenever we ask Him to forgive the sins we commit.

Jesus is the standard by which we live. Stephen followed Jesus when he prayed for those who were stoning him to death. "Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:60.

If we wish to be forgiven, we must forgive. We can forgive in an instant. All it takes is a decision to forgive. Since our minds are associate, something may trigger the pain of mistreatment even after we have forgiven it. We must not panic and assume that our decision to forgive did not stick. We can remind ourselves that we have, indeed, forgiven the matter and, thus, the incident is settled. We can choose not to re-hash the incident in our minds. We can let go of whatever thought has brought the matter to mind, and we can trust the Lord to heal any lingering pain.

Again, forgiveness is a decision and that decision can happen quickly. Our journey to healing from deep hurts must begin with a desire to forgive from the heart. We may need the prayers of others to help us. We may need the wise counsel of someone who can help us work through feelings of anger and pain and move on to the joy of forgiveness. We may need someone to step in and help us re-build a relationship with someone who has hurt us. The process of healing may take time, and it may involve pain. Yet, through it all, our desire should be to forgive, rather than merely to vent our pain or to use our pain as an excuse for our own sin.

We forgive for the Lord's sake and for the sake of the soul of the person who has offended us. Such forgiveness works far more powerfully for good in this world than human retaliation ever can. Though we forgive for the Lord's sake, a side benefit is that forgiveness also frees us from the chains of bitterness and enables us to freely enjoy our intimacy with the Lord. Forgiveness brings great peace.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer -- Day II

5 suggestions for prayer...

1) Study how and when Jesus prayed. We can learn much from what the gospels ell us about His prayers. Read also Hebrews 5:7.
2) Study the conversations that Jesus had with people while He was on this earth. Pay special attention to the requests they made to Him and how He responded. Consider that when we pray, we are appealing to God, just as these people directly appealed to Christ. We can learn much about God's heart from gospel accounts of the way that Jesus interacted with people.
3) Study the "Lord's prayer". Study what Jesus taught about prayer.
4) Cultivate righteous motivation in prayer. James 4:1-4. Also, honor and thank God in prayer. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18
5) Luke 11:1-13 The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They had probably prayed all of their lives, since they had grown up in the Jewish culture. Yet, they saw something in Jesus' prayers that they wanted to learn. Jesus answers their question, and that answer is recorded for us so that we can be instructed, too. We can also humbly admit to God that we, too, need to learn to pray, just as the first disciples did. If we remain humble and ever learning to pray, that will help us mature in our relationship to the Lord. We can ask Him to teach us to pray and to help us to pray. We can also seek help from others who can pray with us and pray for us, as well as share insights from their own study and prayer with us. Of course, just as reading marriage books and seeking wise counsel regarding your marriage is no substitute for actually having a relationship with your husband, likewise, reading books or article about prayer and listening to the counsel of others is no substitute for actually having a relationship with God. Such counsel is vital to our spiritual growth, though.

Remember, in studying prayer, we are seeking not just to acquire intellectual understanding, but to deepen our relationship with the Lord and to put what we learn about prayer into practice. It's one thing to know facts; it's another to allow God's wisdom to change our hearts and our lives.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth