Category: Prayer

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Waiting With Every Fiber of My Being: Hope Series #22

Not long ago, a group of us were talking about how difficult it is to wait—especially in traffic. It’s annoying when some guy in front of you goes 20 mph under the speed limit, and there’s no passing lane for miles! But I learned a fun trick from my sister. Instead of saying snarky things to other drivers (even while alone in the car), God challenged her to sing about it. Sometimes she makes up a blessing song for the other drivers, and other times she just sings out her frustration, like:

Why are you going so slow, so SLOW?

I wish to heaven you’d go, you’d GO!

I hope real soon you’ll get out of my way;

And as I go by I’ll wish you a nice day.

So long; so long…

And so forth. You get the idea. She says it makes her laugh at herself and relieves the tension. I’ve tried it, and it really works! And before I know it, they turn off or I’m calm enough to relax and enjoy the journey.

But what do we do when we’re waiting on God for an answer we really need? Financial help, healing, direction. We need an answer. Preferably now! Those are tense times which no made-up song can dispel. We need the One who moves mountains to move one for us.

We know from scripture that God will answer us in one of three ways:

Yes

No, I have something better

or Not Yet.

The person who wrote the following psalm did not diversify his prayer investment. He put all his eggs in one basket; all his money in one bank; all his bets on one horse. And he waited with anticipation and expectancy. He waited with hope!

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Ps. 130:5-6, emphasis mine

A night watchman knows the sun will come up eventually, and his shift will end. He watches the darkness fade and finally the sunrise appears when the world comes to life. Relief! He knows someone will come to take his post and he can go home to rest.

That was how this God-follower hoped in God. Every fiber of his being was focused on God, and nothing else. But notice, he didn’t just sit and do nothing while he waited. He continued doing what he knew to do—he stayed alert; he watched over those under his care; and he kept trusting help would come.

Here are two more verses about waiting that prompt me to do the same:

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
    we wait for you;
your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
    in the morning my spirit longs for you.

Isa. 26:8-9

While walking…we wait. We don’t sit down with our head in our hands and wait for the answer to fall in our lap. We keep moving. We take the next step, and the next. We do what we know is right until God’s answer comes. We keep looking to Him, yearning for God’s presence and His will. And we press on in hope.

I love this song by Lincoln Brewster, “While I Wait.” The music and lyrics are filled with the hope we need, while we wait for God to bring the answers we seek.

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When Hope Seems Far Away: Hope Series #15

My heart is aching today for those I love who are in deep distress. I feel helpless. I cannot heal their bodies, change their past, protect them against unfair accusations, or make others treasure them as they should. I can’t do these things for myself, much less for anyone else. These days my prayers feel like clouds around me, hanging, murky and thick.

So I’ve been turning more and more to scripture, to songs that give hope and declare truth. I turn to the One who CAN and does heal, change, protect, and treasure. Our good and loving God, sees what we cannot see. He lives in me, walks with me, and when I cannot form the words, His Spirit prays on my behalf with passionate groans I cannot begin to comprehend.

He understands our pain. He knows and He cares.

When David was in this place of desperate pain, he wrote out his prayers in the psalms. They have been such a comfort to me lately. Have you ever noticed this phrase repeats three times in Psalms 42 and 43? “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5).

Songs or poems with repeating phrases have a way of getting our attention. And the message imbeds in our soul. This is powerful self-talk. What an example for us to follow!

“Why am I so upset? Have I lost all hope? Don’t I know God will get me through this?” I needed to hear and repeat David’s words to myself. It’s going to be ok, Beth. God’s in control.

The bad news is, our enemy, Satan, knows how to use repetition as well. You’ve probably noticed when you’re worried, you tend to repeat the same negative thoughts over and over, digging yourself deeper into a pit of anguish. In order to get out, we need to change our pattern of thinking. Instead of the automatic “Why me?” “Why now?” “Where are you, God?” questions, we can choose to quote scripture to the enemy.

In fact, Psalm 42 is so rich with treasures, I want to walk through it with you and weave in prayers of response. There IS hope for you, for me, and for all those we’re praying for.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

Lord, I’m desperate for You. I feel so alone. You’re the only One who can fill me up.


“My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’”

They may not have actually said this, but it feels like that’s what they’re thinking, God. I wonder if others are questioning my faith. If I’m such a true believer why are these things happening to me? Why am I so depressed? Why can’t I pull out of this? Are You really there?


“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.”

I used to love to go to church and celebrate with other believers. I loved the singing, the preaching, and the great discussions about Your Word. I felt protected and joyful. But to be honest, it hurts now. I feel alone in the crowd. Unnoticed. Separate.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.”

Here is that first repeated phrase. I’ve highlighted two key words—yet and therefore.

Lord, the circumstances of life have cast me down and I can’t seem to get up again. But it occurs to me that I don’t have to give in to this despair; You are my hope. I will yet praise you—now, by a determination of my will, but also later, when this darkness lifts. Because I am confident in who You are, I will praise You from the mountaintops.


“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

Lord, some think this sounds like drowning, but I picture myself under the waterfall of Your outpouring love for me. The waters echo in the caverns behind the falls, magnifying the sound. It reverberates in my ears. I am surrounded. I can feel the booming thunder and hear the splash of water all around me. I choose to place myself in this fountain and be drenched by the flood of Your Spirit.

“By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”

O Lord, let me rest in the music of Your love. Wake me with melodies of hope and praise. I will make them my prayers.

“I say to God my Rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?’My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’”

O Jesus, there it is again—the isolation, abandonment, mockery—creeping in. Why won’t these thoughts go away?

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

I turn away from those dark thoughts, Jesus. You’ve always taken care of me, and You won’t leave me now. I put my hope in You. I will YET praise You. You have saved me from the chains of sin and shame. You are the only One worthy of praise. I determine now to give these fears and misery, all of them, to You. As many times as it takes, I will come and give You my anxious heart. Thank You, Lord, for listening, and caring for me. In Jesus name, Amen.  

The following song by Brandon Lake is moving and personal. Set aside the next nine minutes to just worship God. Go for a walk, sit in your car, get on your face, dance, weep, clap. Focus on each word, each note. Lose yourself in “Gratitude” and praise the God who loves you beyond measure.

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Waiting on the Next Tide: Hope Series #7

Twice, in tremendous agony over lost love, I’ve been tempted to take my own life. On both occasions God stopped me before I acted on those feelings.

The first time, I had a knife to my wrist, when the whisper of God stopped me. Death was not the answer. He would heal my hurt.

The second, I was driving along a country road, sobbing helplessly. I noticed a tree at a curve in the road and contemplated speeding up to hit it full force. Again, the Spirit stopped me, reminding me I had two girls to raise. Plus, what would it say about my proclaimed faith in God if I gave up now? Jesus would hold me through the heart-shredding pain. Even when the thought returned on other trips past that tree, God kept me on the road and gave me the will to live.

Years later, I could relate to the despair portrayed in the movie “Castaway.” Tom Hanks plays a FedEx executive shipwrecked on an island for four years, kept alive only by his wife, Kelly’s, picture and his determination to get back to her. When his will to survive wears thin, he attempts to commit suicide, but even that fails. When he finally makes it back home, we anticipate a happy ending, but he finds out his wife, thinking him dead, has remarried. How can a guy survive so much loss?

His friend asks how he resisted the temptation to kill himself on the island, and how he will recover from this new devastating blow. He says:

“I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So… I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so, I couldn’t even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over NOTHING. And that’s when…I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope…So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day…the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I’m back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass… And I’ve lost her all over again. I’m so sad that I don’t have Kelly. But I’m so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

When we put our trust in God, this is even more true. We never know what is just around the bend, or coming on the next tide. We don’t know what He has planned for us. That is what happened for me. I’m so glad God never let me go, even when my faith was weak. He gave me hope for a better tomorrow. And now I have a life full of love and purpose.

James 4:14 says we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We cannot boastfully plan to get rich, travel the world, and enjoy perfect health. But neither can we predict doom and gloom for the rest of our lives. So, wait for the next wave and see what comes. God might bring just what you need to get off your island of despair. Ask Him what to do where you are right now. And hold on.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Ps. 27:13-14)

Nichole Nordeman’s song, “Hold On” was such a comfort to me in my darkest days after a divorce that threatened to destroy me. I hope it helps you too.

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Take Heart: Hope Series #4

A Place to Stand by Samuel Hall is a true story about a family who experienced hard times in the Oklahoma Panhandle of the 1950’s. Claire, Elmer, and their three boys persist through drought, storm, freeloading relatives, and the grief of tremendous loss. After her husband’s grueling battle against cancer, Claire is left alone to run the farm and get out of debt. On top of that, she is robbed, then robbed again by her own thankless nephew. On the verge of despair, she steps outside to have a little talk with God.

Where are You in all this, God? How much more can we handle? She finds calm and the will to go on in the quiet night sky.

I’ve asked God the same questions when life has become too painful to bear. And the beauty is, God is big enough to listen, even when we’re angry and disappointed. He provided me with the hope I needed to keep going.

Between kind and generous neighbors and a surprise provision from the Lord, Claire and her family got through their trials too. God gave them a firm place to stand. And He will do the same for us.

All of us get discouraged when things don’t turn out as we hoped, but we can take heart that God will give us the grit and faith to face each new day. To “take heart” means to refocus our minds and bravely face a tough situation.

King David told himself and other believers: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord… Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Ps. 27:14; 31:24). Our hope has to be built on something solid—we can’t just hope in hope, or believe in thin air. In both of these verses, the character of the Lord is our reason to hope again. Because He is faithful, and never gives up on us.

These psalms reveal David’s determination to find courage when he was tempted to despair. We need this encouragement too, when we don’t think we can take another step forward. That’s why going to church and being part of a small group is so important. When we’re discouraged, we need to be able to tell others how much we’re hurting so they can hug us, pray for us, and help in tangible ways. The Body of Christ is meant to lift each other’s burdens and celebrate each other’s victories.

This song by The Afters is a perfect confirmation of how God can lift us up when we are losing hope: “I Will Fear No More.”

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Hope for When You’ve Blown It: Hope Series #3

He had talked to his mom about Jesus so many times. And every time she said, “No, it’s too late for me. He doesn’t want me after all I’ve done.” It didn’t matter how he pleaded and tried to reassure her God was just waiting for her to accept Him. That He loved her and wanted her. But she wouldn’t budge. Then this son and his wife got the call they had dreaded.

A neighbor hadn’t seen his mom for a while and began to wonder if she was okay. So the police did a welfare check and found her sitting in her chair, dead. She had been there for days. She died alone, in bitterness and despair. When all the while, Jesus longed for her to come to Him and receive His love and forgiveness.

This is the worst kind of tragedy!

If you think you’ve committed the unforgivable sin and God won’t accept you, I want to you to know that’s a lie from Satan. Here is the truth. The only way God won’t forgive you is if you continue to harden your heart to Jesus’ invitation, and don’t ask. He said, “Come to me,” and He means it.

  • Come to Him in prayer
  • Believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins
  • Ask Him to forgive you and lead you in a new life
  • Live each day in His love and direction
  • Get to know Him by reading the Bible and hanging out with other Christians

Jesus told His disciples to forgive others who wronged them seventy times seven if they asked (in other words, an infinite number of times). Then why would He refuse to forgive us, as long as we ask sincerely? God doesn’t hold grudges like people do, or experience bitterness, regret, guilt, or distrust. There is hope when we’ve blown it! No matter how many times.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24, NIV unless otherwise noted).

“If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you” (Psalm 13:3-4).

God cares about the pain we suffer, even when we’ve caused it ourselves. Think about this example from the Old Testament. After the Israelites had returned from seventy years of captivity in Babylon because of their idol worship, they went right back to sinning.

God had repeatedly told them not to intermarry with the people in the land who worshiped false gods. He knew if they did, His people would be tempted to worship along with them (which included offering children in the fire to the god Molech). Yet, they married women who did not know God anyway. When the Israelites realized what a great sin they’d committed, they were truly sorry and wanted to make it right. They dared to hope: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel” (Ezra 10:2). 

The only way to make it right with God was to send away their foreign wives and children. How heart wrenching it must have been! True repentance isn’t just saying you’re sorry, it’s turning around and doing what is right.

God does not call us to do that today. If we’re married to an unbelieving husband or wife, God does not want us to divorce them. If we become a Christian after we marry, or our spouse decides they no longer want to follow God, we’re supposed to stay married, unless our partner chooses to leave.

“If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him…But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace” (2 Corinthians 7:12-15).

Of course, we can avoid a lot of pain and sorrow by not dating or marrying a nonbeliever in the first place. Obeying God today also means not living together or having sex unless you’re married. Our culture tells us otherwise, and even many churches are saying this is okay, but God has not changed His mind. He knows impurity will pull us away from our love for Him.  

No matter what sins we have committed, however, God has promised He will always forgive us, and make us new.

Ask Him now. Admit your fears to Him; tell Him everything. He already knows anyway. Ask Him what He wants you to do, and then do it. He will give you the strength.

This song by The Afters offers encouragement for those of us who’ve blown it. Which is all of us.

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All I Want for Christmas is a Silent Night

Is that your greatest wish this Christmas—for a silent night? Or, maybe just a moment of quiet to gather your thoughts (and your wits), before the next party, family gathering, shopping trip, or sugar-filled kid tantrum. Whether the child is yours, or someone else’s.

In this season of joy, we sing about a silent night, but the Christmas season can be anything but quiet. We celebrate in noisy crowds at work and home, watch tons of movies, and play a steady diet of Christmas music at home and in the car. Everywhere we go music blares to “put us in the mood.” I think if I hear Madonna’s “Santa Baby” one more time I’m going to…well…I’m not sure what I’ll do. But it won’t be pretty.

How can we keep Christ as the focus and true meaning of Christmas when we’re constantly inundated by meaningless noise?

This Christmas, or anytime we’re feeling rattled by the never-ending chatter, inside or out, Pastor Jon Courson suggests taking a “word fast” to reset our bodies and spirits. How? Turn the radio off in the car; take a walk, or exercise, without ear buds; spend a night with your family without a movie or music playing. We could even—GASP—refrain from talking ourselves.

Does this sound good? You may be nodding your head, but also thinking how implausible this would be. For while we crave silence, we also fear it. Why?

  1. Because we think if we don’t speak those all-important words, the world will fall apart.

“When I am quiet, I am genuinely helpless. After all, who will tell it like it is unless I open my mouth? Who will straighten out the situation unless I pontificate and proclaim my theories or vast understanding?

When like my Lord, who, when He was reviled, reviled not back, who, when He was questioned by Herod, spoke not a word in return, I am quiet, I am helpless. I must depend solely upon the Father for defense, for justification. And that’s scary” (Jon Courson’s Application Commentary).

We also fear silence, because,

2. When it’s quiet, we see ourselves for who we really are.

“When the television isn’t blaring or the music isn’t playing, when the voices aren’t chattering, when it’s just me and my Lord in silence—suddenly, confronted with my flaws and hypocrisy, I realize I’m not as deep and spiritual as I like to think I am. My thoughts wander easily. My body gets restless physically. When I don’t feel the presence of God, it haunts me” (Jon Courson’s Application Commentary).

So while we yearn for and desperately need silence, we also avoid it.

Why is it so important to pursue?

First of all, we’re constantly pouring out, especially at Christmas. We’re giving, helping, serving, and going to events we don’t necessarily want to in order to please our boss or someone we love. And it saps our strength! The best way for God to refill us is to get alone with Him–to worship, cry, or simply let Him hold us (even if it’s just a quiet walk around the block, or drive home from work). In doing this we open ourselves to hear His voice and be refreshed.

Even Jesus did this. During His years of ministry, after hectic times of teaching, healing, and conflict, Jesus withdrew for a quiet time with His Father. He also encouraged His disciples to step away. He is still calling His followers into times of silence and refreshing. Even, and perhaps especially, at Christmas.

Secondly, we need times of silence for God to give us perspective. In the cacophony of voices, we can get confused about what is true. The world is quick to tell us what to think about right and wrong! But when we get alone with God—when we enter His sanctuary—everything makes sense again (Psalm 73). Truth, after all, is not what man decides is true today, but what God says is true for all eternity.

Even though our noisemakers may differ a bit from believers in the past, they also suffered constant bombardment from the world, and had to choose to be still before the Lord. Those who were wise learned to be intentionally quiet. And we can do the same.

I desperately need this! And it is my prayer for all of us this Christmas. As we fast from noise in big or small ways; as we let the noise subside, inside and out; as we breathe in the Spirit of the living God—I pray all within us will become calm and bright, filling us once again with Christ’s empowering peace.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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A New Nighttime Ritual

Have you ever read a passage or verse in the Bible and started to meditate on it, then have the Lord stop you short and give you a completely different message than what you first thought? That’s what happened to me this morning. I’ve just started the Old Testament book of Micah, and verse one of chapter two spoke to me:

“Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it” (Micah 2:1, NIV).

I began to respond in my journal. I was thinking how easy it is to do the wrong thing when we have the power (or ability) to do it, whether it’s getting back at someone who has wronged us, stealing, lying and so much more. But just as I put pen to paper God spoke to my spirit.

You may not be planning evil, my child—coming up with wicked plots to hurt others. I know you want to please Me. But when you lay in your bed at night and allow worry, discouragement, or anger to fill your mind, that is what you will speak and act on in the light of day. When you say disparaging things about yourself, and beat yourself up instead of speaking promises from My Word, you wallow in self-defeat. And that depletes the confidence I want you to have in Me. Instead, memorize and repeat My truths of comfort, instruction, and encouragement that will energize you for the next day.

My heart did a double take!

I don’t know if you’re like me, and it takes your brain a while to settle before you can sink into blissful sleep. But my mind bounces all over the place—reviewing (analyzing) how I did that day, praying for those who need Jesus, or are struggling; the hurting, the confused, and the angry. In the dark, as exhaustion sets in, my focus is not always on how big God is to meet these needs, but how big these problems seem to be. And this diminishes my faith.

Through this one little verse, God challenged me to start a new bedtime ritual. Micah spoke these words to call God’s people to repentance; they really were plotting and planning evil! But for Jesus followers who truly want to live victoriously for Him, I’ve stated it in positive terms:

Blessed are those who plan to hope and trust in God,
    who strategize how to show His love to others as they lay on their beds!
At morning’s light they will begin to speak and act on those thoughts,
    because He will work through them by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is what I want to focus on as I drift off to sleep each night—hope, faithfulness, love, forgiveness, truth, victory, and a life of joy in Christ, even when circumstances feel dark and confusing.

Each of us prepare our minds for the day ahead by what we focus on as we drift off to sleep. What is your nighttime ritual? Is God calling you to make a change?

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Sometimes I Wake Up Grumpy

Maybe you have heard the joke, “Sometimes I wake up Grumpy…and sometimes I let him sleep.” Well at our house, I’m the one who tends to start the day with a less than cheerful attitude. It’s not that I’m in a bad mood; I just take a while before I run on all cylinders. Maybe you can relate to this. And if you share your household with others who bounce out of bed like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, there are probably days you wish you could get them to put a blanket on it for a minute until you catch up to their morning enthusiasm.

To add to the challenge I’ve had the strangest dreams for the last few weeks. Not nightmares, but full of frantic efforts and anxious striving. I wake exhausted and edgy. Combined with gray mornings and COVID uncertainties, I was struggling to grasp the presence of God in my morning devotions. I have so much to be thankful for and yet I felt a little lost in isolation, and day after day of sameness.

The other morning I had a breakthrough. I read from Psalm 86: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:3-4, ESV) I responded out loud. “Yes, Lord, please. Gladden my soul!” I wrote in decorative script, “to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” on the blank page opposite in my journal Bible.  

My parched spirit was thirsty for refreshment so I held it up to God–the Living Water—the only One who can bring gladness to darkened souls.

How do I know that? Because I believe the descriptions of God throughout the rest of the psalm:

He is my God (verse 2).

He is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who seek Him (verse 5).

He answers the prayers of those who call on Him (verse 7).

There is no other god like Jehovah who do what He does (verse 8).

His deeds are great and wondrous (verse 10).

He is the One and only God (verse 10).

I have personally experienced His steadfast love (verse 13).

Jesus rescued my soul from eternal death when He died on the cross and set me free (verse 13).

The psalm goes on. Our Master, Creator, Savior, Shepherd, Friend, and Comforter is worthy of praise and faithful to us no matter how foul our mood or deep our despair. When the author of this psalm talked about needing a united heart (verses 11-12) I felt my need for the same thing.

“Yes, Lord, I need a united heart. Instead of giving you lip service, while I satisfy my own comfort and selfish desires, I want to worship You with all I am. I want to give you wholehearted praise.”  

I have been practicing this daily: asking the Lord to fill my soul with gladness as I lift it to Him, and praising Him wholeheartedly.

I still don’t wake up bouncy and talkative, but the restlessness is easing up. I am welcomed into the day by peaceful contentment. The crazy dreams have stopped and I am becoming more at ease each day. Even with the unexpected.

There will always be times when we are not “glad.” Grief, worry, trauma, or simply waking up grumpy can steal our happiness. But lifting our souls to Christ and offering Him praise are definitely two steps in the right direction to reclaiming our gladness.

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My Prayer Epiphany

photo by Tara Newman, Sela Photography

Prayer is a tough discipline for many of us. I’m not sure anyone feels like they do it well. We want to feel God’s presence, know and understand His will, pray with more authority, and see results.

Using scripture, such as the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, and others as a launching pad for repentance and intercession are helpful practices. Focusing on the reality of God’s presence helps reassure us this is a two-way conversation. Praying in response to God’s voice of comfort, or direction when we read the Bible is another great prayer tip. We can also journal, practice breath prayers, keep a diary recording His answers, grab a friend for conversational prayer, and fall on our faces in times of desperate need.

photo by Tam Hulbert

All these and other prayer tools have been such a help to me, and yet for a while I have felt as dry as an empty corn stalk. I’m doing the work, but have missed feeling the strong presence of the Spirit. Then one little phrase from God’s Word transformed my prayer life with a picture of how the Lord wants us to approach prayer.

Just before His arrest, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what was coming, yet His soul was in conflict. His mission—to take on the sins of mankind and die for us on the cross loomed immanent. His death would pay the debt no amount of sacrificing or rule keeping on our part could ever achieve. Even so, He dreaded the moment of separation from the Father.

So He called a prayer meeting, taking Peter, James, and John further into the Garden.  “He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Matthew 26:38, NIV). What did they do? Did they pray scripture, or softly sing psalms to encourage Him? Did they cry out to God in bold intercession? Nope. They did what we so often do—they fell asleep.

However, Jesus had told them to, “Watch with Me.” To keep watch means to stand vigil, stay alert, which we struggle to do when our minds wander and our eyelids grow heavy. The key word is “Me.” We are to keep watch with Jesus; be there with Him. He intercedes for us along with our Interpreter, the Holy Spirit, and we’re there to accompany them in prayer.

“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us… In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:34, 26-27).

He is no longer in the Garden of suffering, but in the heavenly realms sitting at the right hand of God. For me, that changes everything.

photo by Karyn Barnett

 I may be at a loss to know how to pray for an individual or situation, but if I bring it to Jesus He knows just what to say. This quote has helped me over the years when I don’t know how to pray. “He prayed as he breathed, forming no words and making no specific requests, only holding in his heart, like broken birds in cupped hands, all those people who were in stress or grief (Ellis Peter in A Morbid Taste for Bones). I hold them out in childlike faith and cry, “Help, Lord. They need you.”

Now, this epiphany in Jesus’ words from the Garden complete the image. “Come pray with me. Watch with me. Anguish over the devastation of sin and give yourself fully to the Father’s will. Bring me the ones you love, your broken heart, your confusion and doubt. I’ll lead; you follow.”

Some of the prayer tips I mentioned above may be unfamiliar to you. I hope you will try some new prayer tools and experience His delight as you keep watch with our Savior:

From my garden, where I like to pray as I work
  • Use scripture as a launch pad: There are so many great prayers in the Bible, as well as wonderful verses you can make your own. Fill in your name and those of the people or situations you are praying for and watch scripture come alive.
  • Focus on God’s presence: Some people like to set a chair beside them as a reminder that God is right there with them. Find whatever works for you to recognize His nearness.
  • Pray in response to Bible reading: Rather than plowing through a certain amount of reading every morning, I would rather stop and respond as I go. This definitely slows progress, but it is more of a conversation that way. Stop to ask for His forgiveness, for understanding, or say a hearty “You said it, Lord!”
  • Journal: This can be anything from your own original prayers and poetry, to love notes to God.
  • Breath prayers: We can pray anytime, anywhere; breath prayers keep us in constant communication with God. Speak short phrases of praise, calls for help, and intercession for people you encounter throughout the day.
  • Keep a prayer diary: Keeping a record of the date, prayer request, and how God answered each one is a real faith booster. Whenever you begin to doubt if prayer works, you can look back and see the evidence!
  • Conversational prayer: My girlfriend and I meet every week for prayer walk. We pray one topic at a time and go back and forth (like a conversation). You’ll be amazed how quickly the time passes and how the fast pace helps you stay focused. .
  • Change your posture: The Bible mentions praying face down, with arms raised, kneeling, and during work or travel. Changing the position of our bodies not only helps us keep our focus, but also reflects the essence of our prayer.
  • Fast: This is one I didn’t mention above, and something not many practice in the western world. Yet Jesus said His disciples would fast and that when we sacrifice food or pleasure to seek His will, we will have increased power and authority in spiritual warfare.

I hope to hear many exciting reports of how God is changing your prayer life as you keep watch with Him.

#howtopray #watchwithme #JesusintheGarden #intercession #prayerdisciplines

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Are You Living, or Just Not Dying?

My husband and I love the movie The Croods. It’s about a family of cavemen. Eep has always hungered for light; one night she ventures from the security of the cave as the last rays of the sun touch the earth. She stretches as far as she can to feel the warmth on her hand until it is gone. Then she sees another light in the distance, and is drawn to Guy’s fire. He introduces the family to new ideas, shoes, and the promise of a better life.

Eep’s dad is a loving father, but overprotective and fearful. Grug works overtime passing his fear on to his children. He wants to keep them in the cave where it is safe. What he doesn’t know is their world is coming to an end. Their cave won’t be able to protect them from the cataclysmic changes coming to earth.

When an earthquake destroys their cave, the family must trust Guy and follow him to a place he calls Tomorrow. Grug complains and argues every step of the way. His family is divided between the old ways and the life Guy offers. As soon as new dangers threaten, they’re tempted to run to the nearest cave for safety.

Only Eep refuses to go. Grug tries to convince her they must do it to stay alive, but his daughter has found something better. Here’s their conversation:

Grug: …it’s my job to worry! It’s my job to follow the rules.

Eep: The rules don’t work out here.

Grug: They kept us alive.

Eep: That wasn’t living! That was just…. “Not Dying”! There’s a difference.

Grug: …you have to listen to me.

Eep: We would be DEAD if we listened to you! Not aliveness. We have to follow Guy now.

See any spiritual applications in this conversation?

Guy is like Jesus, who brought light to a people living in darkness, offering hope for a better tomorrow. Unlike Guy, who dreams of a place called Tomorrow, Jesus has actually been there. He came in the form of a man to tell us how to get there, and to show us the way. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, NIV).

We are like the Crood family—huddled in the dark, afraid of danger lurking outside; surviving, but yearning for more than just “not dying.”

People like Eep, who catch a glimpse of the Light, want what Christ has to offer. And He’s waiting for those who will seek Him. Some will choose to follow Jesus and be saved. Others will hang back in fear only to watch everything they’ve trusted crumble to dust. Many will trust Jesus but waver along the way. I have done all three.

From a young age I yearned for more. I knew my own wretchedness and hated the darkness I saw inside myself. I longed for light and more than just not dying. The day I gave my all to Jesus was like coming out of a cave into brilliant light. Suddenly I had a reason to live. Even in times of tremendous personal pain, I have never felt more alive.

 Before that transformational day, I hung back in fear—fear of what my friends would say if I got “religious,” afraid of what I’d have to give up to become a Christian, fearing what God might ask me to do. My only regret is not following Him sooner. Even so, I have wavered at times.

Why would I do that, after seeing the light and getting a taste of real life? Why would anyone go back to their cave? Here are three reasons why:

Fear

Although Jesus has seen Tomorrow and knows how to get us there, it’s new to us. And our natural instinct is to doubt. I’ve been afraid to try new things for fear I will fail in front of everyone. All of us fear something out there, and when we take our eyes off Jesus, it doesn’t take long before we slip back into the cave. Sometimes we don’t even realize we have until we notice how dark it is.  

Rules

Like Grug, we think it’s our job to follow the rules. However, Jesus reprimanded rule-keeping Pharisees and teachers of the Law who rejected God’s plan of salvation. Being a rule follower myself, I begin to think I need to be perfect before I can leave the cave. We can fall into the same trap trying to earn our way to heaven. Forgiveness is free—bought and paid for on the cross.  

Habit

Old habits are hard to get rid of; cave dwellers tend to return to their caves when danger threatens. It may be dark and damp, but hey, it’s home. Even though I hate myself when I run to food for comfort instead of Jesus, it happens all too frequently. In the same way, people caught in abusive relationships or addictions often return to the same old trap, because it’s familiar.

The biggest reason why it’s so hard to leave the cave is because we have an enemy. Satan hates us and wants to see us suffer. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” but then He gave us this magnificent promise, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV).

So the question is, do we want to settle for just “not dying,” or do we want life—real life, full and abundant life with Jesus? Despite our fears, legalism, old habits, and all the other things that lure us back into the darkness. Jesus can lead us into the Light and on to Tomorrow where there will be no more darkness, no more death or sorrow or pain. If we stick with Him.  

#abundantlife #Iamthelight #Jesusislife #Croodliving #John10:10 #cavedwelling