Archives For prayer

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.

Why You Don’t Know How to Pray

Chris —  October 22, 2010

I’m currently working on a Master’s of Arts in Global Leadership, and occasionally, I’ll share some thoughts from what I’m learning.

We hear it all the time “All you have to do is just talk to God.”  But let’s me honest, it’s not that easy.  “Just sit down and have a conversation with someone you don’t see, and who probably won’t respond to you in an audible voice” isn’t helpful advice.

Even Jesus wouldn’t give advice like that.  When he was asked how to pray, he gave his disciples a model.  Another model that Christians and Jews have practiced for millennia is praying the psalms.

Maybe the the problem is that we have trouble putting ourself in the place of the writer and his experience.  We may read a psalm of praise, but not feel like we have something to praise God for.  We may be having a really great day when we come across a psalm of lament.  We may read an imprecatory psalm, but have no true enemies.

The problem is, like so many times in our culture, our individualism.  Praying the psalms won’t work if it’s just about us.  However, the psalms do give us the tools we need to truly pray for others.  Next time you have a friend who is struggling, dedicate sometime to pray through psalm 89, where Ethan, the writer, accuses God of negligence, and asks for help.  Next time you know someone who has something to celebrate, pray through Psalm 95, and rejoice for them.

In this way, we not only have words to say, but a reason to say them.

Related posts:

Why God Doesn’t Talk To You
Why God Hasn’t Forgiven You Yet
What Would Patrick Pray
-My Kind of Woman (Pt.1) and (Pt. 2)

Why God Doesn’t Talk to You

Chris —  August 20, 2010

Recenly, I knocked out Dallas Willard’s Hearing God and The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.  Both books deal with communicating with God, and have a lot of insight on the barriers and benefits to it.

Willard suggests that rather than asking the question, “Why doesn’t God talk to me?” we should ask the question “Why should God talk to me?”  As he always does, Willard breaks these mystical concepts into clear relational processes.  We never ask the question, why would a stranger, who I have no interaction with talk to me?  Rather, we will here from God, as we do life with him in the kingdom.

Although I have some struggles with the image of piety that Brother Lawrence projects, he offers an excellent example of how to do life with God.  He spent much of his life in a kitchen.  He would start his time there with prayer, asking God to be with him as he made omelets.  Afterward, he would review his day, what went well, what did not, and share that with God.

Maybe God just wants to be treated like everyone else who is a major part of your life.

What Would Patrick Pray?

Chris —  March 17, 2010

I believe I posted this last St. Patrick’s Day, but it bears repeating. And Praying.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

From St. Patrick’s Breastplate.

A Quick Prayer Request

Chris —  July 6, 2009

Please pray specifically for our team’s health. All of us have been sick at one time or another on this trip. Most have been knocked out for daysat a time. I’ve personally been afflicted only with car sickness resulting in an exciting case of projectile vomitting.

Please pray in all directions: against illness, and spiritual forces working against us.