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Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ He called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God’” (Luke 18:35-43). There are several prayer insights in this short passage of Scripture to inform our everyday lives: Acknowledge His Presence First, the blind man didn’t let the opportunity to cry out to Jesus pass. He acknowledged the presence of the Son of God. If he had waited, the moment would have been gone and he may have lived the rest of his days as a blind man. How many of us let moments of need pass us by? Perhaps it isn’t our own personal need, but the need of another, or a situation that can only be changed or taken care of by the power of God. The salvation of another, the healing of a relationship, the mercy of the Father brought into a tragedy, etc. may be totally dependent upon you taking note of the nearness of God Himself in a particular moment. Do we fully believe that our prayers are relevant to the working of the power of God? The blind man certainly did!  Perhaps we need to resolve not to let opportunities to call upon Jesus pass us by because we are too busy or perhaps even too shy to call out to Him. Pray with Persistence Although those with Jesus attempted to silence him, the blind man persisted in his request. How often do we allow ourselves to be intimidated into silence by others, or because we might be embarrassed to speak our requests aloud? How many of us give up quickly when an answer doesn’t come immediately? Scripture says we are to pray and not give up (Luke 18: 1-8). Be Specific Next, Jesus wants us to be specific with our requests. He asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Many of us are vague with our requests in prayer. For example, “Lord, bless me.” Or, “Lord, take care of my needs.” Jesus was very pointed in his question to the blind man. He wanted a specific answer. Perhaps we are too busy or distracted to even listen to Jesus ask us what we want Him to do. He is God, and already knows before we ask (Matthew 6:8). But Jesus didn’t heal the blind man until he answered the question. How many answers to prayer might we see if we answered the question Jesus asks? Have Faith The blind man’s faith attracted the attention of Jesus, who was moved to respond to his request. Do we have the faith to believe Jesus has the power to meet our need, or to bring His power to bear upon a situation we are praying about? If not, perhaps we shouldn’t even make the request. James 1:6-8 says, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” Respond in Praise When the blind man received his sight, his response was to follow Jesus, praising God. All those who witnessed the miracle also praised God. How often do we receive answers to our prayers and we don’t give honor and glory to the Father? Sometimes we act astonished that our prayer was answered. Other times, we may be thrilled to receive an answer, but we still forget to acknowledge that it was God who moved in response to our request. It is easy to take answered prayer for granted, or to be surprised by it. Answered prayer is for the glory of God alone. How often we pervert His purposes by refusing or neglecting to acknowledge the moving of His hand. One brief moment in our spiritual history can change things forever. Such was the case for the blind man outside of Jericho. Because of his faith in Jesus’ ability to change his situation, he acknowledged His presence, persistently begged for Jesus to have mercy upon his condition, responded specifically to Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?”, had faith in Jesus’ ability to give him sight, and then gave God all the glory. As the blind man received his physical sight, may we receive spiritual insight to fuel our everyday prayer lives.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries James gives us some very important teaching on prayer in James 5:13-18:   “ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” We are told that whatever we are facing…good or bad, we should pray. Good advice. The problem in the text is that the example given of a man of prayer is that of Elijah. However, Elijah, in our eyes, seems to be this amazing man of prayer.  How can we be like him? James, inspired by God, says Elijah was a human being, just like us. He was simply a normal person with no special dispensation from God. So let’s look at a summary of the obedience of Elijah’s prayer life:  I Kings 17:1: Rain did not fall in Israel for several years – “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’” I Kings 17:7-16: A widow and her son did not starve – “For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah” (v. 16). I Kings 17:17-24: The widow’s son was raised from the dead – “The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (v. 22). I Kings 18:16-40: Elijah called on the Lord and was victorious over the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel – “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire – he is God” (v. 24). I Kings 18:41-46: Rain falls from heaven – “And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain’” (v. 41). Elijah, because of his obedience, had an amazing response to his prayers. And Scripture says that Elijah was a person just like us? How can this be? We can see the answer to this question when suddenly everything changes for Elijah in I Kings 19: He became fearful: “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (v. 3). He was depressed and discouraged: “…he came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die” (v. 4) Elijah, mistaken about what was going on, was filled with self-pity: “I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too” (v. 14). We can all tend to be like this side of Elijah from time to time – fearful, wanting suffering to end, mistaken about what is happening, and filled with self-pity. We can do that! Here’s my point. Elijah was a flawed man. He had great successes and some failures too. In spite of some amazing answers to prayer, his life was not easy. The purpose of prayer is not to make life easy. As Elijah learned, when we commit to obeying God and serving Him in prayer, we become an integral part of the purposes of God on planet earth.  Elijah got in on some really good stuff, because he prayed.  And we can too!  As a matter of fact, I will tell you bluntly that God has made us for this. To pray like Elijah means: 1.    Praying prayers that are focused on God’s purposes. 2.    Praying prayers that are filled with faith. 3.    Praying prayers that involve acts of obedience. Our job is to pray as Elijah did…with focus, faith, and obedience so that God will receive glory. The final result always rests in God’s capable hands.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centered monologue to a God-centered dialogue.” – Henri Nouwen Reading Nouwen’s quote recently, I paused to consider once again what has been changing about my everyday life as it is gradually being transformed into an unceasing dialogue with God. For many years, having such discourse with God was an elusive reality for me. When I became a follower of Jesus, I was taught that everyone should carve out time every morning for Bible study, worship and prayer. I still believe this is true, for it gives my days a sense of balance and focuses me upon God’s purposes for my day rather than my own. Yet, I would always find a drifting occurring as the day traveled along. Rather than trusting God as my friend, confidante, guide, wisdom and rock in the midst of every activity, conversation and relationship, I began to marginalize His participation through forgetfulness and neglect. Life became about what I was doing, where I was going and who I was connecting with.  Unless His help was clearly needed, I was pretty self-sufficient and, as Nouwen states, “self-centered.” Is it possible to develop a spiritual strategy to move one’s unceasing thinking towards unceasing prayer? I believe so! Spiritual practices such as silence and listening prayer are crucial in developing the discipline of continual awareness of and conversation with God. Here are some powerful ways, based upon Scripture, to help us transition from unceasing thought to unceasing prayer: Remember that God knows all of our thoughts:  In Psalm 139:2 the Psalmist says, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” There is no thought that escapes the notice of the Father. Our attentiveness to this fact can stop us from purposeless wandering of mind, or from focusing upon our own needs and agendas incessantly. I am always more observant of my thoughts when I cultivate an awareness that God is paying attention to them. I am more careful to consider what He thinks of my opinions, ideas and random notions and more inclined to speak to Him about them. Ask God to search your thoughts:  If God knows all of our thoughts we should prayerfully invite Him to examine our thought lives. Our awareness of His presence in our thoughts can lead to conversation with God about what is contained in them. A good prayer for this is found in Psalm 139:23: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  Spend time listening to what He may have to say about what you are thinking, and ask Him to show you how to change, alter, or act upon things as He brings conviction, sheds light and asks for obedience. Take every thought captive:  2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” If we pay attention to every thought, and whether or not it is Christlike, natural conversation with God will happen. Perhaps asking questions of God such as, “Father, how can I think differently about this situation?” will help us with the transformation of our minds (Romans 12:2). Fix your thoughts on Jesus:  In Hebrews 3:1 we read, Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” If we have taken our thoughts captive, we can begin to fix our thoughts upon the things that matter to Jesus. We have the mind of Christ:   Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we, as believers in Christ, are able to align our thoughts with Jesus’ thoughts.  “For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart” (1 Corinthians 2:16, Amplified).  Because we have the mind of Christ Jesus, and because He dwells within us, we can converse continually with Him about the feelings and purposes of His heart. Desiring to see His plans for us, for others and for His world come to fruition, we will be more likely to press into ceaseless conversation to that end. I know these are not easy steps, and that it will take some time and discipline to have an unceasing dialogue with God; however, His word gives us what we need to move in that direction.  Let’s pray for one another to recognize that God knows our thoughts, to invite Him to search those thoughts, and to begin to take every thought captive by training our focus upon Jesus. Then, in the knowledge of the truth that through the power of the Holy Spirit we have the mind of Christ, our prayer lives will see great transformation.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”  (Acts 1:12-14). Following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the apostles obediently returned to their place of prayer in the upper room. They were joined by other men and women who had agreed they were “in this for good, completely together in prayer” (Acts 1:14 MSG). They joined together constantly in prayer as they awaited the promised Holy Spirit. As they waited, they listened. God prompted Peter to speak about the Scripture that spoke of the need to replace the position that Judas Iscariot had thrown away in favor of his own will, so Mathias was added as the twelfth apostle. I wonder how these early believers felt as they awaited the promised Holy Spirit. Did they wonder what it would feel like or be like to have this “power” Jesus spoke to them about? Were they excited to receive such a gift, or apprehensive about what it would mean for them individually and collectively? Would they have spent time talking about it together over meals, speculating about their commission to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth? I wonder also, if  they determined to be willing to lay aside their own ideas, plans and purposes in favor of the kingdom purposes Jesus had been teaching them about? Did they pray, “Not my will/our will but Yours be done?” Did they express private concerns about being persecuted or even killed, knowing that the enemies of Jesus would most certainly oppose them? Did they lay hands upon one another and pray for strength, willingness, obedience and courage? Were they already making plans or simply sitting at the feet of Jesus, awaiting the Spirit’s direction as Jesus told them to do? We  do  know that when the Spirit came, these waiting saints were prepared and ready! Within a very few weeks it was said that they had “turned the world upside down” for Jesus Christ. It would have been amazing to be in that upper room at this extraordinary moment in history. Yet, in a sense, we can place ourselves there – if we are willing. What if every church or group of believers would set themselves into this very scenario within this passage of God’s word?  We, of course, already have the gift of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to wait for it if we have made Jesus Lord and Savior. But for many of us, our obedience to the commission of Jesus ends there. We have all of the power we will ever need to go into our modern day Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and even to the ends of the earth. Yet, this power lies dormant and unused within so many of us who have chosen only to acknowledge but not act upon the call of Christ to be His witnesses. Perhaps what is needed is to recapture the essence of the upper room where we can join  together  constantly in prayer as the early Christians did. It would be a place where the presence of God is palpable…a place of laying down our will in favor of the will of God, and a place of listening and of discernment. It would be a holy space where Scripture teaches us and we obey…a place of empowerment, of physical and spiritual healing… a place of building relationships, of serving one another…a place of encouragement and accountability…a place of true discipleship and of making disciples. It would be a launching pad for going into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. It would be…the Church.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries As our nation continues its moral spiral downward, a scripture that is increasingly referred to is Psalm 11:3:  “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” It is certainly a contemporary question. The problem comes when we try to supply our own answer to this important question. The answers can come fast and furious: vote this way, protest this action, write your congress person, boycott that group…and much more. All of those answers actually might be valid in small ways. The difficulty is that they are all insufficient and fail to address the answer found in scripture. When we pick one verse, we often do so at the expense of the verses around it. That’s especially true in this case. The answer to the compelling question, “What can the righteous do?” is found in verse 4. “The Lord is in his holy temple; The Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.” The answer to the question is simple – Look up!  God is still in charge. When seismic changes are taking place in culture, it looks as though everything is falling apart. Our nature is to jump in and try to fix it, or to retreat in despair and discouragement. The command of God’s Word though, is to look to The Lord. It’s time to pray. It’s time to draw near and realize that ultimately God is in charge and nothing is happening of which he is unaware. It doesn’t mean that we might not need other action in addition to prayer.  But after we have prayed, our actions will not be acts of desperation but that which emerges from the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God is still on His throne. And we are those who come boldly into His throne room to lay before him our requests for His will to be poured out on earth as it is in heaven. What can the righteous do? We can pray!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries When my husband calls me on the phone, he never has to identify himself. I know his voice so well that further identification is not needed. At the risk of embarrassing us both, I will share that almost every phone conversation begins with Dave saying, “Hi Gorgeous!” and my response of “Hi Handsome!” The calls almost always end with “I love you!” I know his voice, and even after the call has ended, the pronouncement of being known as his “beloved and beautiful bride” is always embedded in my heart. I feel loved and cherished, even in the simple act of hearing his voice on the phone. How much greater the love of Jesus is for me, for you…and for His Beloved Bride, the Church.There are two things about prayer that resonate deeply with me in the simple act of a phone call with the person I love most on earth. First, I know his voice, and he knows mine. Yet, how well do I know the voice of the One who created my innermost being? Jesus, whose voice I should fully recognize and follow?  In John 10, Jesus states that those who are His sheep know His voice, but do not acknowledge the voices of strangers. I must be a good listener to the voice of the One who is always present to me and within me. I need to learn to discern His voice above every other…to cherish it, and to obey it.  Listening prayer is a transformational spiritual discipline. Until I can determine Jesus’ voice above and in the midst of all of the others, I cannot discern and live in the kingdom of God in all of its fullness. Living in and leaning into the presence of Christ reminds me always that He is my Beloved, and I am His. He loves me beyond any love my husband could ever hope to have for me, or I for him. His voice instructs, admonishes, encourages, builds up, convicts, and is filled with all of the peace, wisdom and strength I need to love Him fully, and to love others with the love of Christ. How does one practice listening prayer? First of all, listening requires slowing down and paying attention. It is not emptying one’s mind, but filling it with Christ alone. Jesus is the Word of God. Therefore, Scripture is perhaps the best way to, as Psalm 46:10 states, “Be still and know” that He alone is God. Any “voice” that does not agree with this Word, is not of God. This is why knowing the Word is so important to listening. I know my husband well, and because we have lived together for so long, we often finish sentences for one another, or think the same things at the same time. This is how we should continually live with Jesus. Sometimes walking in nature or contemplating the beauty of what He has created draws me into an acute awareness of His Divine Presence. Sometimes it is dwelling upon the character and nature of Jesus. Perhaps I will settle on His loving kindness, His compassion or His power and meditate on one of these characteristics, asking Him to reveal more of Himself to me. Listening helps me to know Jesus better as He unfolds Himself into my heart. I can “be still” at any time of day or night for He is fully present to me 24-7 unlike any human relationship. Secondly, I know from his voice that my husband’s love remains with me always. Even when we are not physically present in the same place, I feel that love and know it to be true and real. This knowledge stays with me always…even when we disagree or when we hit a rough patch or season in the midst of life. Jesus, the One I love even more than my own husband, lives with and within me. His presence is continual. His love will never fail because He is the Divine Love. Jesus tells us: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). The verb abide is closely related to the word stay. Just as my husband’s words and love stay with me continually, how much more do the words and love of Christ abide with me? Most importantly, my husband cannot always be physically present with me; however, Jesus is continually abiding within me, and, if I am obedient to Scripture, I also stay continually with Him. Being aware of this spiritual mystery is vital to all believers. Yet, how does one abide continually with Jesus so that fruit can be produced? We must stay attached to the Vine, and prayer is the best way I know to do this! Prayer is a love relationship with God. It is continual remembrance of what Henri Nouwen calls our “belovedness” in Him. It is living within that love that gives us strength to live it out as fruitfulness. We must first abide (stay) in Him, recognizing also His presence in us so that we are available to love Him fully and to take part in the work of His kingdom that extends His love to others. It is cultivating a continual awareness of His presence. Jesus has promised to be with us “to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). In his book Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life, Henri Nouwen states, “Staying with Jesus and he with us requires walking the road together, not turning back, anticipating seeing Jesus in unexpected ways in our hearts.” He is referring to the revelation of the person of Jesus in the lives of the two men on the road to Emmaus. Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, but it was not until they begged Him to stay with them…and he accepted their invitation and broke bread with them that they recognized who He truly was. They did not yet recognize His voice, even though their hearts were “burning” within them.  It was an act of remembrance (taking communion together) that triggered the recognition of His Presence. They had lost hope that Jesus was truly who He said He was until this moment. They were not yet completely attached to the Vine. Once this connectivity was established, the fullness of the kingdom was theirs! Their eyes were opened to the presence of the living Jesus! It is this awareness that fuels relationship and recognition. My guess is that these two men never again had trouble recognizing that Voice! Prayer as everyday life includes abiding with Jesus and listening to His voice. The longer we dwell in His presence, the more we will know that we are His beloved and He is ours! Life update:  Since this article was written, my precious Dave has gone to be with Jesus. Now, more than ever, I am leaning in to hear the voice of Jesus. I am learning daily what an amazing husband HE is, comforting me in the loss of my earthly spouse and leading me on in my life journey: “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).  Jesus is worthy of our attention and as God has said, “…This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5)!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Recently, I have heard the heart cry of several friends and family who have been enduring significant seasons of suffering. Some are dealing with physical and emotional struggles; others, with financial stresses and setbacks or prodigal children. Still others are agonizing over the suffering or loss of family members or friends. Most are in a place where their prayer lives have become paralyzed. I have been in these dark places of despair, and struggled with the “Why me, God?” questions. Yet, it was in these times of desolation and anguish that God spoke most clearly and it was in the hopeless places where I found the most hope…and where I learned without a doubt that the God of all comfort was very present. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 has always held for me the all-important key to enduring difficulties: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” This passage came to the forefront after experiencing a devastating season of suffering in my own life which I thought might never end.  I began to see something happen that I had never expected, and did not fully comprehend until time had passed. But our grace-filled Father patiently used my painful experiences and trials to minister into the lives of others who were walking through similar circumstances. It was the fulfillment of the truth from 2 Corinthians taking root in my life. Seeing this promise come to fruition was life-changing for me, and has allowed me to see suffering in an entirely different light. I don’t have to like it, but if I patiently endure it, God will be faithful not only in the midst of what I am walking through…He will take it and use it for His kingdom’s purposes! To punctuate this point, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If God’s will for me is to joyfully and prayerfully give thanks in the midst of every circumstance, then I must be an obedient child, even when I am unsure…even when I am angry…and even when I don’t feel like praying, trusting that He will make use of every season I am in! I would suggest that it is best when we don’t feel like praying to do two things. First, just breathe the name of Jesus into the space around you. His Name keeps the enemy at bay and His Name releases the power of Christ into our situations. Second, play worship music so that your surroundings are permeated by the Presence of the God of Comfort. He is attracted to our worship, so as we focus on Him rather than upon our circumstances, He will reveal Himself in ways we may never expect! God isn’t asking me to do anything He has not done Himself. “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want” (1 Peter 4:1-2, MSG). Several prayer points jump out at me through this passage: Remember.  I need to continually pray that I will always remember that Jesus has gone through all I have and will ever suffer and more! Picturing Christ on the cross or being pierced for my transgressions or even bearing the sin of the world should be enough to keep me from complaining about my own state of affairs. The Father heart of God was broken to experience the suffering of the Son, and I have to believe that He aches over mine as well. 2 Corinthians reminds me that He is the God of comfort and promises that comfort is mine if I will be willing to receive it in place of demanding my own comfort. Think.  God may be doing something in me that only He knows and which might not be accomplished if I were to get my own way by avoiding or trying to get out of suffering. His ways are higher. I do think it is okay to let God know when I suffer and that I am angry about it as long as I don’t dwell there. If I can discipline myself to share the burdens, ask why, and express anger…I will be free to receive His comfort and trust that His purposes in allowing my suffering will be for the benefit of my own spiritual growth and to help others who walk through similar experiences. Choose.  By becoming free of the tyranny of what I want, I will be able to have the freedom to pursue what God wants – His kingdom purposes rather than the purposes of my own kingdom. Will I receive victory in the hands of Jesus Christ or be defeated at the hands of Satan? Scripture has many promises and much reassurance for those who endure suffering. There are remarkably powerful graces from the Father to us if we will persevere in the face of trials. May the Word encourage you no matter what you may be facing today: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).” “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul” (Psalm 31:7). “For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help” (Psalm 22:24). And the ultimate consideration for believers who are going through trials and suffering is rolled out for us in Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” This earth is not our home. This body is only a poor reflection of what is to come. Let’s choose to lean into the Presence of Jesus Christ, who loves us with an all-encompassing love. As we continue to trust Him, He will step into suffering with us and bend His ear towards our cries for mercy. We must continue to trust that He will redeem and bring light into situations and circumstances that seem dark and impossible for the sake of His glory.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7). We don’t often hear the specifics of Jesus’ prayer life when he went off by Himself to quiet, secluded places to seek the face of the Father. We see multiple occasions in Scripture that allude to how He connected to God, and we know from Jesus’ own admission that He never did anything apart from the Father: “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does’’ (John 5:19). He was intimately linked to the heart of God. Yet, the author of Hebrews gives us a profound insight into the powerfully intimate nature of our Savior’s prayer life. Let’s break down this verse and examine it for insights into how we can follow the example of prayer that Jesus clearly intended us to step into as His followers: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth…”  – Jesus clearly sought the face of God throughout each day of His life. He didn’t have a quiet time silo within which he dealt with all of the things upon His heart. Instead, this conversation was characterized by continual connectivity. Jesus certainly prayed without ceasing. I can imagine that in His humanness, he felt inadequate and uncertain without being closely aligned with the purposes of God within each and every encounter He made with the people God had sent Him to redeem. “…he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears…” –  A very clear picture of such praying in Scripture is when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). We don’t see much of this kind of praying these days in our nation; however, in other nations around the world, especially in places of extreme poverty and persecution, God’s people cry out passionately to Him. Perhaps we are not hungry enough for more of God in our lives and not desperate enough to cry out as Jesus did! What must we do to cultivate such a depth of passion within our own prayer lives before the circumstances of our dire situation closes in on us and forces us to fall upon our faces before our Holy God? “…to the one who could save him from death…” –  The One who saves all of His children from spiritual death did not save His Son from the cross, because to do so would have negated His ultimate purposes. Jesus, in His humanness, desired to be rescued from the painfully gruesome death He was facing; however, in His divinity, He willingly laid down His life for the glorious plan of the Father…the Resurrection that redeemed all believers for all time. Are we, His children, willing to surrender what we want or what is comfortable, for the kingdom purposes of God as Jesus so obediently did…even if it could mean physical death? “…and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” –  How often do we desire to do things our own way, or feel entitled to say whatever we want? How unlike Jesus that is, and perhaps this is the very reason so little prayer is answered with the approving stamp of God upon our requests and intercessions. We are not reverently submitted to our Father. Jesus sought His Father’s face with humility and reverence, fully yielded, completely surrendered and obedient. I long to approach the throne of grace with Christlikeness. So, as I continue to ponder and wrestle with the practice of prayer, I am going to imagine myself holding the hand of the One I love most as we walk into the throne room together. Lord Jesus, teach me to offer up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who has saved me from spiritual death. Show me what it means to submit myself reverently before the Father so that I may be heard. It’s in Your Name I ask this! Amen!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I have been prayerfully reflecting upon this past year and looking ahead to what God is holding in His heart for me in this new year. His faithfulness emerges so clearly out of the difficult places of the past season of my life. Psalm 86:11 begins, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness…” The way of Christ was to rely fully upon His Father for all things…nothing He did or said was apart from His Father.  I’ve done plenty of things apart from God over the past few months, relying on my own ideas, strengths and wits rather than yielding myself fully and completely to the purposes of God so that He can show Himself faithful in the midst of all of my everyday circumstances. Fortunately for me…and I imagine for all of us, God is not only faithful, but also forgiving! “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 130:3-4). Our Father is faithful  and  forgiving. His faithfulness can be fully relied upon as we seek to learn His ways, as Jesus did. In the midst of difficulty, struggle, pain, loss, grief, joy, victory, transition or celebration – God is present. As I mentioned, there have been multiple times this past year when my record of wrongs – things done or left undone – needed to be submitted to God so that I could once again serve Him with reverence. How grateful I am that God is faithful to forgive me when I confess things that must grieve His heart. Renewed determination to be more like Christ this year has gripped me anew. I am focused on walking more carefully in the steps of Jesus day by day, keeping my eyes fixed upon the Faithful One. Here is my prayer as I head into this New Year with a new resolve to be the person He has called me to be, the servant He desires me to be, and the child He loves no matter how many times I mess up:  Teach me Your way, Lord, so that I may continually rely on Your faithfulness from moment to moment. Help me to keep short accounts with You whenever I fail to extend the love of Jesus to others, or when I find myself in weak moments that cause my heart to turn away from complete obedience to Your word and Your ways. Give me the strength to press into Your heart for lost people and nations, and to cry out to You for spiritual awakening, beginning in my own heart! Thank You, Father, for Your faithful, loving-kindness towards me so that I may serve You with reverence. May I be more faithful in this New Year to be Jesus to those I encounter, so that nothing I do or say strays from Your kingdom purposes. I ask this in the Name above ALL Names! Amen!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I am committed to getting to know the Father more intimately through obeying the command of Jesus in Matthew 6:16-18 (NAS): “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites  do , for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees  what is done  in secret will reward you.”  Basically, when fasting, I am to look normal on the outside while God is changing me on the inside. It isn’t necessary for anyone to know that I am depriving myself of food, or some other activity that I am trying to control my appetite for (such as social media, working too many hours, busyness, etc.). God is pleased with my efforts to draw near…it isn’t necessary to be patted on the back or noticed by others for my “holy behavior.”  God will reward what I do in secret…He isn’t pleased when I “put on a spiritual show” for others.  Fasting is on the job training for intimacy and for becoming a house of prayer for all nations! Yet, as individuals, and as the church, we have neglected this spiritual discipline badly. Isaiah 58 proclaims the purposes for a “true fast.” In studying and praying through this passage (MSG version), I am noticing several interesting things about how I am to carry out my fasting in God-honoring ways so that He alone will be pleased. Here are just a few that I’m pondering and praying through so that my next fast will be “true” and fully aligned with His purposes: Am I all about being busy doing the things of God the “right” way?  Wow – this is hard-hitting! God is sharing with Isaiah and/or with the leaders of Israel about this very thing in vs. 1-3: “Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins! They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’and love having me on their side. But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’” In my attempt to be holy, I often do the opposite! There is much that is wrong with my life…I struggle with sin issues every day – mostly with my words, and my tendency to get aggravated by people just like me. Ouch. I love to worship, and never considered that I was too busy “worshiping” and studying about God and then wondering why He isn’t noticing my efforts. Sometimes when I am struggling with issues in my life it seems as if God is far away rather than drawing near. Am I working too hard to get God to notice me? I think I am learning that my love relationship with my Father needs to be based more on desire and less on “duty.” Back to Matthew 6…the promise of His reward is cloaked within my willingness to surrender to Him in secrecy, knowing that He will be true to His word. I need to seek Him because of who He is, not because of His rewards. To this point, I’ve always thought that is what I’ve been doing…but my heart is inherently focused on myself rather than fully submitted to the purposes of God. I try to fix myself with outward activity rather than allowing the Spirit of God to bring transformation into my innermost being. Sometimes when I’m fasting I “swing a mean fist.”  “The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist.The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call  that  fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like” (vs. 3-5)? If you are like me, the enemy takes notice of my attempts to become more like Jesus and does everything he can to sabotage them! It’s interesting that even when others don’t know we are fasting, Satan is completely aware. He would whisper to us that we must have a pious humility before others…and tempts us to speak or act unkindly or unwisely before we are even aware it is happening. This brings discouragement and sometimes even an untimely end to our fast: “Well, THAT didn’t work!” The knowledge that I have failed makes me likely to consider that I should try again at a later date since I have no doubt displeased God with my imperfect attempt. In the background the enemy of my soul is likely cackling with delight over my defeat and weakness. God’s purposes for a “true fast” have kingdom significance!   “This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. (Vs. 6-7).  Fasting is not just a spiritual act I engage in…it is also a place to intimately engage the voice of the Spirit seeking my response to the life of the incarnate Christ living within me. God puts me on mission with Him when I take the time to give up something I need or have become too attached to and engage Him prayerfully. As I learn to love Him more, He will draw me near and occupy my heart with fresh vision to love others. Shouldn’t my heart be broken for His purposes when I intentionally place myself in a posture of humility and willingness? The answer is an unequivocal YES! And not only should I be willing to agree with the heart of God, I must be willing to actively engage in the call He places before me…whatever it might be…even if it sounds difficult or makes me afraid…or stretches me in uncomfortable ways.  If I will willingly respond to God during my time of fasting and beyond, He promises to answer my prayers: “ Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way.The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am’” (vs. 8-9). I need the lights to turn on and illuminate the way forward. I love that the God of glory will secure my passage to join Him in His kingdom work. Fasting puts my prayers onto His agenda rather than my own wants and needs…so that when I truly  do  have a need…He is pleased to respond, because I will be asking with correct motives and not with the selfishness of my own heart. I am trusting Him to set my feet on the path of righteousness as I fast, engaging me in the center of His heartbeat for others as I seek after more of the character of Jesus Christ.   Fasting, I’m convinced, is the antidote to my selfishness. It is the way that leads me towards Christlikeness. Fasting also compels me into the world…not to be of it but to be the hands and feet of Jesus on earth. It is also not an easy discipline to embrace or to practice…but it is worth the effort! My prayer for myself, and for you is that together, we can welcome the life of the Holy Spirit in us, changing us from the inside out for His kingdom’s sake. May fasting become a normal part of the rhythm of everyday life for each of us so that God might be pleased to work in and through us to set captives free, feed the poor, clothe the needy, and embrace His love for every man, woman and child who needs to know Him. May we become a house of prayer for all nations that God can use to turn this world upside down for Jesus Christ.