Our son Seth, is not yet speaking more than a "Mama", but that does not mean he cannot communicate. Yesterday evening, I said, "How about I take Anna and Seth for a sled ride in the snow." As soon as I said that, Seth came running to me. He lifted up his arms to tell me to pick him up. When I did not pick him up fast enough, he started to cry.
I said, "Kimberly, could he really have understood my offer to take him sled riding."
To which Seth replied with a loud cry and pointed to the door. "Why, yes, I guess he did understand" and more importantly I understood him.
He cannot yet use words but he is a very effective communicator. In fact, you might argue that his cry is better than words. His cry is loud, strong and confident..."Daddy, I want to go sled riding...you better not be jerking my chain...put on my hat and boots and lets go!" So, we bundled up and went out into the snow-ice and had a blast until...I told him it was time to go back inside...and then, once again, Seth's cry spoke louder than any words.
Do you ever feel like you don't know how to put your prayer into words? Do ever encounter a time when you don't even know what to pray for a situation? Does it ever feel like any words you could come up with are just not enough? If you have ever felt like that, let me ask you one more question: Who said you have to use words to pray? What if a wordless cry reaches the ears and heart of the Father just as good and even better than our most eloquent words.
That is what Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
Did you catch that? You do not have to figure out what to pray. Prayer is not about a magic formula of the right words. Prayer is all about relationship...it is you pouring your heart out to God and opening your heart up to God. Some of the best prayers a person may pray are those that use no words. If, I as an earthly father have my ears in tune to my child's cry, how much more does your all-loving heavenly Father hear you when you cry out to him "with groans that words cannot express"?
Go ahead and pray what you cannot say...Did you hear that? I hear the Father running to your cry...now, just lift up your arms and let him pick you up into His.
As you pray today, I ask that you remember a 32 year old woman in our church family and a member named Mickey and her husband Jeremy and son, Justin. Mickey is very ill and in the Critical Care unit. I know they would value your prayers...words or cries on their behalf will be just fine!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
"Travel Far"
I have been told if you can say what you want to say in a few words, don't ruin it by using a lot of words, so my thoughts are brief today:
An old African proverb says, "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together."
In a culture that pushes us to travel fast, may God help us to go against the current and settle for nothing less than traveling far together.
Romans 12:15 describes what it means to travel far together when it says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn."
An old African proverb says, "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together."
In a culture that pushes us to travel fast, may God help us to go against the current and settle for nothing less than traveling far together.
Romans 12:15 describes what it means to travel far together when it says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn."
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"Let it Snow"
Finally, it looks like we could get a good, ground-covering, beautiful snow. I know some of you will not appreciate my enthusiasm, but after all the rain and ice we have had, I say, "Let it snow!" In my opinion snow has a beautiful peace about it. Snow makes a gray, cold winter day look bright. And, have you ever noticed how snow seems to quiet everything?
Someone this week emailed and to ask if I was OK. They explained that I seemed strained and stressed on Sunday. Though I was surprised that this person noticed, I could not deny the truth of their observation. My life is just like yours, some times life casts a winter gray over everything. As I watched a our brother in Christ die at age 43 and hugged his wife as she sobbed that cold winter gray swept over me. I felt it again, as I waited for the surgeon to tell me how my wife's surgery went. You know what I mean, don't you...you've felt the cold, winter gray sweep in with the call of another debt collection agency or with the slamming of a door ending another fight or walking into the house to spend another night alone...It's life...in life there is a season for everything as Ecclesiastes says...why would we expect spring and not winter? Seasons of winter blow through every life, the questions is what do we do when winter comes? Will we simply lay down and freeze? Will we be swallowed up in the gray? What will we do?
Why not pray for snow? If it has to be winter, why not ask for snow?! "Father, for the one who is experiencing a season of cold and gray, I pray for snow. Like snow covering the earth, cover us with your presence. Give eyes to see beauty where it seemed there was none to be found. Like snow's quiet fall, let your peace fall on us. Hush us. In the quiet let us hear you. We understand that in this life you said we would have trouble. We accept that. We stop acting like some how we should be exempt from it. Instead, we look to you and say, if it has to be winter, then, Lord, let it snow!"
Someone this week emailed and to ask if I was OK. They explained that I seemed strained and stressed on Sunday. Though I was surprised that this person noticed, I could not deny the truth of their observation. My life is just like yours, some times life casts a winter gray over everything. As I watched a our brother in Christ die at age 43 and hugged his wife as she sobbed that cold winter gray swept over me. I felt it again, as I waited for the surgeon to tell me how my wife's surgery went. You know what I mean, don't you...you've felt the cold, winter gray sweep in with the call of another debt collection agency or with the slamming of a door ending another fight or walking into the house to spend another night alone...It's life...in life there is a season for everything as Ecclesiastes says...why would we expect spring and not winter? Seasons of winter blow through every life, the questions is what do we do when winter comes? Will we simply lay down and freeze? Will we be swallowed up in the gray? What will we do?
Why not pray for snow? If it has to be winter, why not ask for snow?! "Father, for the one who is experiencing a season of cold and gray, I pray for snow. Like snow covering the earth, cover us with your presence. Give eyes to see beauty where it seemed there was none to be found. Like snow's quiet fall, let your peace fall on us. Hush us. In the quiet let us hear you. We understand that in this life you said we would have trouble. We accept that. We stop acting like some how we should be exempt from it. Instead, we look to you and say, if it has to be winter, then, Lord, let it snow!"
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
"Press On"
Psalm 91:4 reads, "...his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."
This is a verse that has provided me with much encouragement and hope. It is one that seems to always come to mind just when I need it. It reminds me that God's faithfulness will always guard and protect me.
I especially value the image of God's faithfulness being my shield. A shield is not something you use to protect your rear end as you run away from the enemy. Rather you hold a shield in front of you as you move forward in the face of the enemies attack. No matter what circumstances of life or the enemy of my soul throws at me, I am reminded that as God's child, I am to never retreat. With His faithfulness as my shield, I am to press forward until I see God's faithfulness overcome in my enemy.
I was just thinking that may be today someone feels like they are in a battle. Your enemy is hammering away at you. You are feeling tired and beaten down. You are tempted to retreat or even worst just give up and let the enemy win. Please receive Psalm 91:4 not as empty words on a page, but as the living word of God that it is..."His faithfulness is your shield." Don't run! Don't stop! With his faithfulness before you press ahead. Don't give up until you see God come through. He will. It is coming. Press on!
This is a verse that has provided me with much encouragement and hope. It is one that seems to always come to mind just when I need it. It reminds me that God's faithfulness will always guard and protect me.
I especially value the image of God's faithfulness being my shield. A shield is not something you use to protect your rear end as you run away from the enemy. Rather you hold a shield in front of you as you move forward in the face of the enemies attack. No matter what circumstances of life or the enemy of my soul throws at me, I am reminded that as God's child, I am to never retreat. With His faithfulness as my shield, I am to press forward until I see God's faithfulness overcome in my enemy.
I was just thinking that may be today someone feels like they are in a battle. Your enemy is hammering away at you. You are feeling tired and beaten down. You are tempted to retreat or even worst just give up and let the enemy win. Please receive Psalm 91:4 not as empty words on a page, but as the living word of God that it is..."His faithfulness is your shield." Don't run! Don't stop! With his faithfulness before you press ahead. Don't give up until you see God come through. He will. It is coming. Press on!
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