prayer

I CAN TALK TO GOD

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Be joyful always; 17 pray continually: 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Does your joy and prayer life fluctuate with your circumstances? Are you an “I can pray when life is good person, or I forget to pray until life gets hard?”

What is prayer anyway? Paul tells us in the passage above that we need to pray in all circumstances, but he does not give us a guidebook on exactly what that looks like, which implies that it must be so easy that we do not need any further instructions from him. My Pastor said that once, and until that moment I had not thought about it. Too many people want to overly complicate praying thinking they need a book to tell them what to say, how to say it, what words are best etc… Jesus was the one who taught us how to pray. We need only to follow his example. So, what exactly is prayer? It is me/you talking to God, taking our burdens to Him. It is me sharing my thoughts, my hurts, my frustrations, my anxiety, my wounds, my sorrow, my joy, my praise, my everything with the one who can bring me comfort, help, and peace; and sometimes it is so simple that all we get out is, “Jesus!” And with that one name, He knows it all.

Let’s face it being joyful and praying continually is not always the natural thing for us to do, it tends to go against our nature unless we make a conscious decision to do exactly what God has told us to do. When we are obedient to what God has told us to do, we will find that it changes our perspective about life and circumstances. We will see each new day and all that it brings as being held by and given to us by God Himself.

As God’s children, we have the Holy Spirit in us, and He is always praying through us, and for us. His prayers are so much deeper than those we can utter, but knowing this should bring us much comfort. He knows exactly what to pray. We are not left to our own devices to figure this thing called life out with all its twists and turns, ups and downs, victories and heartaches.

So, how do we pray without ceasing? In every circumstance whether good or bad, we talk to God. Because wherever we are we are not alone, God is right there with us. Knowing that we are not alone, that God is with us, and that the Holy Spirit is also praying deeper things for us than we can, should also cause joy to rise inside of us. On our hardest day, we can find joy. How? We can remember that God has forgiven us of every sin. When we came to him in repentance, He forgave us of every sin. Our slate has been wiped clean, we stand before God the Father washed in the blood of the Lamb and we will never face the penalty for our sins, no matter how great they may have been. That knowledge alone should cause joy to rise inside of you!

We obviously cannot spend our days on our knees, so it must be an attitude of our hearts. When we read God’s word it builds this trust in us that we know we are not alone. God is always with us, hearing us, and His word tells us He always answers us. (Jeremiah 33:3). Does that mean we will always get everything worked out, or given to us exactly how we ask? No, what it means is that God who knows all things, who knows what he wants to accomplish in us and through us, and He who has our days numbered, will work His will out according to the plan He has set in motion. Sometimes, it is a yes, and what we have prayed lines up with His will and it happens. But prayer itself is us coming before God, pouring it all out to him, and while we are doing that, He is working in us, preparing us, changing us, molding and making us more like him, and answering our prayers in His time, in His way, knowing what is best for us.

We can trust the plans God has for us and the process by which those plans come to fruition. God is faithful, God is all-knowing, all-seeing, He is in every detail no matter how great or small they may seem. This is the same God who formed the heavens and the earth and knows every hair on your head. He’s Got This!

I thank God for my Pastor, He is truly a man of God who spends hours praying and seeking the Lord, asking for divine help to speak God’s word to us. And yesterday he said this: “We are standing on Holy Ground, but it is about time we took some ground.” I think that for many of it could be that we/you have allowed the enemy to rob you of your joy. That everyday hardships, or deep wounds, or sin, or whatever has stolen your joy. Take back that ground. Start by reading God’s word, which has the answers for everything in life. Pray…or just sit quietly alone with God; He already knows what you need. Let joy start creeping back into every moment of your day, it too will help lighten whatever it is you are carrying.

I leave you with this: “Rejoice and be glad, Jesus is coming…it could be today!”

HE’S GOT YOU

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

I have recently been walking through a tough time, with multiple situations to work through and even process. I have had moments when all I could do was sit alone in a dark room and feel the hurt. I am sure you have been there a time or two yourself. My range of emotions has been many; I have felt hurt, confusion, anger, frustration, and the list could go on for a while, and I have cried all of it out to the Lord, desperate for His comfort, help, and peace. He has reassured me in many ways that He is right here with me, never leaving me, always hearing my cries for help.

God does not always take the hard things away from us. God did not remove the sea when Moses and the Israelites needed to cross to the other side; God parted it. The walls of water were on either side, and I am sure at times they felt fear that maybe, just maybe, it might come down on them, and they would all drown; moms and dads may have had to comfort and reassure young children that it would be okay, that God had them and would see them through.

When we pray over certain situations, or for people to be saved, or changed, we have no idea how God will answer those prayers. When we get brave enough to pray “whatever it takes,” are we prepared for the “whatever.” Only God knows what each situation or person needs to make a change, only God knows the true depth of the need in every situation, and every heart. But here is what I know, we have a good God, a faithful God, a God that sees everything clearly, and who can do anything!

As I have sat with my hurt, and walked through some hard stuff, I have cried out to God and searched His word, asking for His reassurance that He has heard my cries for help, He has seen every tear, and He is with me. You know no matter how long you have been a believer, there are times when you still need that reassurance and hope. Here are some verses that have jumped out at me recently, maybe you to could use some reassurance right now.

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Isaiah 43: 1b-2

“Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you. 6 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.” Psalm 86:1-6

Here are a couple of quotes that God has brought to me during this time, and of course their timing was perfect!

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

“For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 108:4

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You!”
Jeremiah 32:17

“You number our wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8

‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

“I pray that you’ll remember this: God’s got everything under control, so there’s no need to panic EVER!

“God has no problems, only plans. There is never panic in heaven.”
Corrie Ten Boon

As humans sometimes no matter how long we have walked with the Lord we can feel overwhelmed, almost fearful, but God who understands that we are just dust comes alongside us and hears our cries, sees our tears, and comforts us on the deepest levels. He never grows tired or weary in our fumblings; He never tells us to “get over it,” He gently reminds us of “who He is,” “all He has done,” and that in Him we have hope and a bright future.

No matter how BIG the mountain may seem, no matter how HARD the heart may look, GOD IS BIGGER! There is NOTHING He cannot do!
He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL! And God ALWAYS HERES OR PRAYERS AND AND ANSWERS!

So, for me, even in this hard place, I choose to trust Jesus. I have chosen to rest in Him, knowing that He has it all under control and that His timing and ways are always perfect!

CONSISTENCY

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Jonah 2:2
“In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

Jonah found himself in a bad place; the belly of a great fish. As far as he knew his life was over. He had run from God, refusing to do what God had asked of him. We pick up the story where Jonah is crying out to the Lord; he says, “When my life was ebbing away I remembered you.” All too often we act the same way as Jonah. When life is going along fine and we have a false sense of peace, safety, and good things, we tend to take God for granted. We don’t give him much of a thought, because nothing has rocked our world just yet. However, when a bump in the road comes, a crisis hits us hard, or life gets too overwhelming, suddenly we want him, NOW!

When we have this kind of relationship with the Lord, it is an up-and-down kind of spiritual relationship. We have no consistency, we can become distant from God by not having daily communion with him in prayer and reading his word. It is only in a daily, consistent relationship that we can gain that solid spiritual ground we so desperately need to navigate this world, especially as it continues to decline in morality and idolatry, fornication, adultery, anger, offendedness, etc. It can begin to feel like we are in the belly of the great fish like Jonah, with our life feeling like it is ebbing away, almost like being buried alive.

When life rolls over us, and it will eventually, or the tide of good fortune changes and life gets hard, and at times can even feel desperate, we need that solid ground that we find in our Bibles and prayer. God’s word is active and living, it has the power to change our lives, and even though it will not stop the hurts and hards of life, it will anchor our souls, and give us hope; knowing God is faithful, He is on our side, He does hear our prayers, He is our Rock in the storms of life. Prayer keeps that constant communication going and keeps the relationship close so that there is no hesitation when we cry out for help. All too often when you feel distance in your relationship with God you try to hide, to run away from shame or some other emotion. Trust me, only you move, God is still right there, waiting patiently for you to turn to him, to trust him, to call out to him.

Just like Jonah, we can cry to the Lord and know that He not only hears us; he will answer. God can hear your voice no matter the clatter of the world around you, as the waves of adversity rise, our Savior’s ears are always attentive listening for his children’s voices, and his help is on the way. Jonah said: “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into your holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7)

I cannot say that I have never been a Jonah. I have waited until I thought it was over, whatever the hard of life seemed to be winning, but I can also say that I have found that the sweet communion in God’s word and daily prayer has made my faith stronger, the ground under me more firm, and my cries quick on my lips, because I know this to be true, God hears, and God answers.

I want to live in a place of Spiritual soundness. I want my eyes fixed on Jesus, so that the clatter of this dying world, the chaos of those who seem to have lost their minds, and the wickedness around me does not shake my faith.

Make the decision today to get in God’s word, make prayer a daily communion between you and the Lord, Be consistent in your walk with Jesus, surrendered to His Lordship knowing that he directs your paths, and he can keep you from the belly of the great fish of disobedience.

Blessings!

THE SPACE BETWEEN YOUR EARS

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

What thoughts are robbing you of peace? What are those worries and concerns that you entertain in the space between your ears, ( in your mind.) What are those things that cause you to lose sleep, worry, be anxious, or unsettled? Everyone carries concerns around with them. These are not outward things that people can see, these are things that race around inside our heads at different times or all the time.
Sometimes these thoughts rob us of sleep, joy, or happiness. They are the unseen burdens that no one else sees.

Many are the thoughts we have in a day; they may be about work, family, finances, or relationships; the list could go on and on. However, the problem comes in when we remember that God’s word encourages us to lay our burdens down at the feet of Jesus; “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22) God is glad to carry your burdens and give you daily strength. He doesn’t come and grab them from you. Jesus asks us to trust him with them and give them to him. (Matthew 11:28-30)”Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We do not have to carry the weight of our thoughts alone. We have the invitation to take them to the Lord and lay them down, and in return, we are given His peace, His rest. The enemy of our souls (Satan) wants to keep us bogged down with the heaviness of our burdens or the things we see as burdens. He wants us to question God’s goodness and God’s ability to help us. Satan wants us to doubt that God has heard our cries for help, Does God see me? Does he hear me? Will God answer my cries for help? To find the answers to these questions we go to God’s word, God’s promises.

Psalm 6:9 “The Lord hath heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to power that worketh in us.”

Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

We do not have to carry these thoughts, concerns, worries, or feelings around with us. We have a Most Powerful advocate in heaven who is at this very moment praying for us. (Romans 8:34) “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Jesus is praying for you, and this most wonderful knowledge should cause you to run the throne room of prayer and cast all our cares, worries, and concerns on him, and rest in his work and the knowledge that Jesus has heard, he has seen, he understands, he has got this, whatever it is, and he is talking to the Father about it right now. When we do this, His peace comes in and calms the troubled waters of our minds. We receive a peace that passes understanding, our burdens no longer feel overwhelming and our hearts can rest. The space between your ears does not have to dwell on the negative, the hard and weighty, instead we can think of things above, (Philippians 4:8) “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” There are better things to let occupy the space between your ears, just remember: “HE’S GOT THIS!”

Give that “SPACE BETWEEN YOUR EARS” a much-needed rest. Cast your cares on Jesus…I promise you will feel better and have a clearer mind and heart.

Blessings to you my friends!