"God's Army" is on the move!
Those are the words my sixth grade Sunday School teacher used to say to the half a dozen or so of us who sat in the row of folding chairs facing him. Even back then, I found the imagery a little silly. Worse, I don't think I ever fully understood what he meant by the metaphor. It was the mid 1980s. I was 11. I didn't know war. Courage, discipline, and dedication eluded me. Yet, 25 years later, I still remember the message: "The day of reckoning is near. Do what you're told. Do the best you can, and maybe there will be a medal for you in the end."
As time passed, I began to do more and more FOR God. After all, he was the big boss, the commander general, and I was just a lowly private. All my life, I've been trying to work my way up the ranks. How strange that the harder I worked, the more I did, the farther I felt from the the big guy. Maybe he didn't create me to be his soldier. Maybe he created me for something more.
Seven values define the United States Army, including loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
Hmmm...So, as a Christian, what do those values mean for me? The Army's values are an enviable ideal. Spiritual warfare is real and unrelenting. What does God really expect of me? All seven values work in harmony to produce a well-rounded soldier. As a member of God's army, I often made myself a martyr of just two: duty and selfless service. I would prepare elaborate meals on a weekly basis for families in need, often feeding my own family PB& J or calling "fend for yourself" as I headed out the door with a four course meal for someone else. I ran errands or sat with sick friends, leaving my own children with a sitter. I was often tired and cranky as I spread God's love to others. Is that the life God called me to lead?
When I read the Bible, I find that God commands, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) He further confirms this desire during his visit at the home of Mary and Martha when he gently chides, "Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10: 41-42). Then Psalm 73:28 says, "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." In all three of these passages, nearness and stillness strengthen the relationship and showcase God's glory. The more I get to know God, the more I want to tell people about his good works, not mine.
During this season of giving, may you be encouraged to serve wherever you are called. God certainly gave us gifts and talents that they might be used. Remember, however, to pause to give God both the thanks and the glory. I learned a valuable lesson all those years ago. And no wonder I felt far away from God!
Prayer, thanksgiving, and study are all wonderful tools for developing the relationship you desire. Serving and giving are good, but there is something counter-intuitive, something that begs quiet and invites meditation, and that's where the real gifts are. I'm all about doing, but when the doing gets in the way of the relationship, it's time to take a step back. Take a seat. Open your Bible. Say a prayer. Ask God to show himself to you. The best thing you can do FOR God is to allow him to do something amazing THROUGH you. Then you'll be amazed at what God does IN you.
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Straight Talk On A Curvy Road
One morning, a few weeks ago, Gavin and I hiked to a place called the House of Dreams. It's a three mile hike to the top of the mountain. All along the way, there are teasing signs that signify the top is close at hand. We approached a small clearing. Light poured through the trees. As I treaded closer, I thought, "Oh, I'm there!" But no, that clearing teased me. We continued to circle the mountain. A little while later, we crested a small hill, and a stone wall emerged. Surely, this was the entrance to the House of Dreams. And yet the top of the hill still eluded us.
Walking hand in hand, we continued our journey. I didn't mind the steady climb. Gavin told me about some boys at camp who are "tapped out" for a special assignment called the The Little Chief Test. The boys undergo a 24-hour challenge that includes a silence ban, building a fire with one match, and a run up this mountain, among other things. They begin the test at midnight the night before and start the run covered in smut from their fires and exhausted from lack of sleep. As we continued our walk, Gavin pointed out various landmarks. He showed me where the various "legs" of the run began and also where many of the boys often give up.
As he was explaining this, we trampled over one last gravelly incline and there ahead of us stood the driveway to the House of Dreams. Finally! The house was modest, yet breathtaking because it's surrounded by lush grass, a lovely garden and a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. As we crested the hill, my eyes drank in the beauty from the perspective of that secluded hilltop. I could see for miles! The clouds blanketed the horizon in billowy beauty. We perched ourselves on a quaint old tree swing, basking in the breeze of a gorgeous fall day. If only those boys had known that they were that close, I bet they wouldn't have given up!
I began to think back through the years--projects I began but never finished, friendships I pursued but didn't cultivate, and dreams I played out in my head, but never realized in life. I wonder how close I had been to the end? I wonder what I missed because I gave up too soon. I reflected on the obstacles and wondered if I made the right decisions.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says Commit thy way unto the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I have always loved that verse, but it took on new meaning for me that day. How many times had I committed to a project or made plans to pursue something based on my own understanding of what lay ahead of me? How many times had I become sidetracked, strayed off course, or stumbled across a roadblock in my pursuit of success and happiness? Like those boys, I couldn't see the future. I felt tired. My legs couldn't carry me to the top of the mountain. I wasn't where I was supposed to be because I didn't ask God to show me the way.
The good news is that in the last three years, I have seen God answer my prayers by showing me clearly the way he wants me to go. I've prayed, "God, show me my place here" and he has done it. I've prayed, "Lord, give me friends who will help me be more like you" and he has done it. As I have leaned in God's direction, he has made my paths straight. When I look at him, I can see more clearly where to go. The path isn't curvy, and I can begin by going confidently in the direction of his leading. I'm not scared. I don't worry about what I cannot see. It's enough for me that God sees, and he is with me.
Walking hand in hand, we continued our journey. I didn't mind the steady climb. Gavin told me about some boys at camp who are "tapped out" for a special assignment called the The Little Chief Test. The boys undergo a 24-hour challenge that includes a silence ban, building a fire with one match, and a run up this mountain, among other things. They begin the test at midnight the night before and start the run covered in smut from their fires and exhausted from lack of sleep. As we continued our walk, Gavin pointed out various landmarks. He showed me where the various "legs" of the run began and also where many of the boys often give up.
As he was explaining this, we trampled over one last gravelly incline and there ahead of us stood the driveway to the House of Dreams. Finally! The house was modest, yet breathtaking because it's surrounded by lush grass, a lovely garden and a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. As we crested the hill, my eyes drank in the beauty from the perspective of that secluded hilltop. I could see for miles! The clouds blanketed the horizon in billowy beauty. We perched ourselves on a quaint old tree swing, basking in the breeze of a gorgeous fall day. If only those boys had known that they were that close, I bet they wouldn't have given up!
I began to think back through the years--projects I began but never finished, friendships I pursued but didn't cultivate, and dreams I played out in my head, but never realized in life. I wonder how close I had been to the end? I wonder what I missed because I gave up too soon. I reflected on the obstacles and wondered if I made the right decisions.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says Commit thy way unto the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I have always loved that verse, but it took on new meaning for me that day. How many times had I committed to a project or made plans to pursue something based on my own understanding of what lay ahead of me? How many times had I become sidetracked, strayed off course, or stumbled across a roadblock in my pursuit of success and happiness? Like those boys, I couldn't see the future. I felt tired. My legs couldn't carry me to the top of the mountain. I wasn't where I was supposed to be because I didn't ask God to show me the way.
The good news is that in the last three years, I have seen God answer my prayers by showing me clearly the way he wants me to go. I've prayed, "God, show me my place here" and he has done it. I've prayed, "Lord, give me friends who will help me be more like you" and he has done it. As I have leaned in God's direction, he has made my paths straight. When I look at him, I can see more clearly where to go. The path isn't curvy, and I can begin by going confidently in the direction of his leading. I'm not scared. I don't worry about what I cannot see. It's enough for me that God sees, and he is with me.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Why Wait?
What does "WAITING" mean to you? When you hear that word, do you think of long lines at the grocery store, Christmas morning, or a watched-pot of (almost) boiling water? Waiting means something different to each and every one of us. Whether we're waiting for a medical lab report or for the alarm that wakes us, the tick-tock of the clock serves one very important purpose: It reminds us that we are not in control.
Have you ever prayed a prayer to God and felt like he just ignored you? The clock's seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months ticked by, and that's literally all you heard--the empty sound of a silent God? It's frustrating to find yourself opening up to God only to find that he doesn't reciprocate your efforts.
Reading Lamentations tonight, I came across this verse: He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked. (3:9)
If I had stopped there, I might have been tempted to say, "Yeah, you tell 'em, Jeremiah! Blame it on the big guy! I feel your pain." But luckily, I didn't. I kept on reading, and I'm so glad I did:
Lamentations 3:21-26: Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
Waiting is hard, to be sure. When I read through these verses, though, I gained a new perspective on why we wait. Waiting definitely produces perseverance and character and hope and all those other wonderful qualities that we read about in the New Testament, but beyond that, our trust in God is strengthened. I like to see progress. I like change that can be measured. When I have an idea, I want to see immediate results. I have a hard time being patient with what God is doing in me. And unfortunately, he has a whole lot of work to do! That last verse says that the Lord is good to those who search for them. Searching takes time. Searching requires a map. Searching can be frustrating.
In the early 1970s, a famous professor from Stanford University conducted an experiment with four year old children to test their ability to delay gratification. Each child was given a marshmallow, then the professor left the room and told the child not to eat the marshmallow. If they could wait until the professor returned, then the child could have two marshmallows. You can imagine a little four-year old sitting at the table staring at that lonely marshmallow in front of him. How tempting to eat it! How sugary and delicious it looked! If he ate the marshmallow before the professor returned, then he would not get a second marshmallow. It's no wonder that the children who were able to delay gratification in the simple marshmallow experiment grew up to be more successful adults.
And so it is as we wait on God. He's our professor. We can eat the marshmallow now. It's tempting. After all, how do we know that we can trust him to do what he says and bring two marshmallows when he returns? That's why we wait. We wait and we see. God shows up and we see. We wait and we remember. God showed up! All that waiting is time spent building a track record of events that fill the gaps between the tick and the tock, between the "Will he?" and "Why isn't he?" questions that dominate our prayer life.
Like a little child, God sometimes has to say to me: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts....And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." (Isaiah 55:8). Those words are hard to swallow. They're the equivalent of my mom chiding, "Because I said so, that's why!" But I take comfort in knowing this (Ephesians 3:20): "....By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Yes, sometimes it seems like God places a stone wall on a crooked path. But maybe that's because I'm not praying the right prayer. I'm thankful for a God who knows better than I do what's best for me. I can trust him because he has shown himself to me in times past. Waiting is never easy, but when I think about what I can accomplish on my own, and what God can accomplish through me, I'm willing to wait. Two marshmallows are always better than one.
Have you ever prayed a prayer to God and felt like he just ignored you? The clock's seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months ticked by, and that's literally all you heard--the empty sound of a silent God? It's frustrating to find yourself opening up to God only to find that he doesn't reciprocate your efforts.
Reading Lamentations tonight, I came across this verse: He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked. (3:9)
If I had stopped there, I might have been tempted to say, "Yeah, you tell 'em, Jeremiah! Blame it on the big guy! I feel your pain." But luckily, I didn't. I kept on reading, and I'm so glad I did:
Lamentations 3:21-26: Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
Waiting is hard, to be sure. When I read through these verses, though, I gained a new perspective on why we wait. Waiting definitely produces perseverance and character and hope and all those other wonderful qualities that we read about in the New Testament, but beyond that, our trust in God is strengthened. I like to see progress. I like change that can be measured. When I have an idea, I want to see immediate results. I have a hard time being patient with what God is doing in me. And unfortunately, he has a whole lot of work to do! That last verse says that the Lord is good to those who search for them. Searching takes time. Searching requires a map. Searching can be frustrating.
In the early 1970s, a famous professor from Stanford University conducted an experiment with four year old children to test their ability to delay gratification. Each child was given a marshmallow, then the professor left the room and told the child not to eat the marshmallow. If they could wait until the professor returned, then the child could have two marshmallows. You can imagine a little four-year old sitting at the table staring at that lonely marshmallow in front of him. How tempting to eat it! How sugary and delicious it looked! If he ate the marshmallow before the professor returned, then he would not get a second marshmallow. It's no wonder that the children who were able to delay gratification in the simple marshmallow experiment grew up to be more successful adults.
And so it is as we wait on God. He's our professor. We can eat the marshmallow now. It's tempting. After all, how do we know that we can trust him to do what he says and bring two marshmallows when he returns? That's why we wait. We wait and we see. God shows up and we see. We wait and we remember. God showed up! All that waiting is time spent building a track record of events that fill the gaps between the tick and the tock, between the "Will he?" and "Why isn't he?" questions that dominate our prayer life.
Like a little child, God sometimes has to say to me: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts....And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." (Isaiah 55:8). Those words are hard to swallow. They're the equivalent of my mom chiding, "Because I said so, that's why!" But I take comfort in knowing this (Ephesians 3:20): "....By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Yes, sometimes it seems like God places a stone wall on a crooked path. But maybe that's because I'm not praying the right prayer. I'm thankful for a God who knows better than I do what's best for me. I can trust him because he has shown himself to me in times past. Waiting is never easy, but when I think about what I can accomplish on my own, and what God can accomplish through me, I'm willing to wait. Two marshmallows are always better than one.
Monday, July 4, 2011
My Mother's Prayers
Never underestimate the power of a prayer. I've been praying since I was old enough to talk. I've always loved words, and I love literature especially. I find great power in the words that I read. Nuances, cadence, and intonation all serve to convey emotion in a story. They are part of the story, the words but the part that isn't really words as well. I understand this when I'm reading a book, and yet when I'm talking to God or even THINKING about talking to God, I sometimes don't do it because I don't have the words. Thankfully, God knows our hearts. He knows our anxious thoughts, and I don't have to think, write, or say a single word for him to perceive exactly what I need or want.
In recent weeks, this idea has become very clear to me. Over my lifetime, I feel like I've "barely prayed" if that makes any sense, and yet God has answered my prayers in VERY REAL ways. In high school, I prayed that God would give me a husband that loved God more than he loved me. And he did. After I married, I prayed that God would one day give me a daughter. And he gave me two. I prayed that as a family we would be able to both hear and heed God's direction for our lives. And he brought us to Canton, Georgia. Most of my life, I've barely prayed and yet God has heard me and answered me.
My children are just now learning to pray. When they hear me talk to God, they hear me asking him to help them grow into people that love Him and love others. Those two things are really all I ever hope for them. Reading a biography of Abraham Lincoln recently, I became intrigued by his religious views. Although he clearly believed in God Almighty, he did not affiliate with any particular American denomination or church. This is what he said: "When any church will inscribe over its altar, as its sole qualification for membership, the Savior's condensed statement of the substance of both law and Gospel, 'Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and thy neighbor as thyself' that church will I join with all my heart and all my soul." Yes, that is what I hope for my children as well!
Lincoln also penned these words: "I remember my mother's prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." I love the imagery of the prayers following him, on his heels, literally clinging to him all his life. Even if he wanted to, he could not fling them away. They were a part of him because God heard his mother's prayer. He answered her by giving little Abraham Lincoln a heart wholly devoted to God and others. At a very pivotal and divisive time in our country's history, there stood a man whose mother's prayers enabled him to lead a nation on the brink of destroying itself and knit it back together. I stand inspired by his testimony. If God can answer me when I "barely pray", I wonder what he will do when I pray with such sticky conviction that my words endure the generations.
In recent weeks, this idea has become very clear to me. Over my lifetime, I feel like I've "barely prayed" if that makes any sense, and yet God has answered my prayers in VERY REAL ways. In high school, I prayed that God would give me a husband that loved God more than he loved me. And he did. After I married, I prayed that God would one day give me a daughter. And he gave me two. I prayed that as a family we would be able to both hear and heed God's direction for our lives. And he brought us to Canton, Georgia. Most of my life, I've barely prayed and yet God has heard me and answered me.
My children are just now learning to pray. When they hear me talk to God, they hear me asking him to help them grow into people that love Him and love others. Those two things are really all I ever hope for them. Reading a biography of Abraham Lincoln recently, I became intrigued by his religious views. Although he clearly believed in God Almighty, he did not affiliate with any particular American denomination or church. This is what he said: "When any church will inscribe over its altar, as its sole qualification for membership, the Savior's condensed statement of the substance of both law and Gospel, 'Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and thy neighbor as thyself' that church will I join with all my heart and all my soul." Yes, that is what I hope for my children as well!
Lincoln also penned these words: "I remember my mother's prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." I love the imagery of the prayers following him, on his heels, literally clinging to him all his life. Even if he wanted to, he could not fling them away. They were a part of him because God heard his mother's prayer. He answered her by giving little Abraham Lincoln a heart wholly devoted to God and others. At a very pivotal and divisive time in our country's history, there stood a man whose mother's prayers enabled him to lead a nation on the brink of destroying itself and knit it back together. I stand inspired by his testimony. If God can answer me when I "barely pray", I wonder what he will do when I pray with such sticky conviction that my words endure the generations.
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