in Perspective

What does prayer do? Why ask? What's the result? Is praying just asking and receiving what you ask for? These questions came to mind today. True. " Asking is an expression of faith. It is opening my heart and mind to believe ." To believe what? To believe and trust that He hears and will respond according to my best interest. Once in a while I find myself feeling a sense of complete relief and satisfaction after I've prayed, even though I haven't seen the answer yet. Just knowing that I've come to God about it and that He's heard, somehow makes a big difference. God comes and makes Himself known. It's hard to explain but I'm just thankful for those experiences that He sends my way. Real prayers are more than just making your wishes come true. It's about having real conversations with God about what's going on in your life, your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and yes, your needs and wants. Why do you lo

Awake My Soul The verse that says "Awake my soul" has fallen fresh on me today. It wasn't part of the day's Scripture reading but it (Psalm 51:8) just resonated with me. My passion for worship (which includes prayer) isn't always strong and committed. I can be all fired-up but I can also be indifferent at times, especially when I'm pre-occupied and when I'm spent physically or mentally. In those times of waning, I need to intentionally wake my soul and stir the passion in me. Not 'waiting until I feel like it' but, each day, just prompt myself to start thinking about my God and just start with the praise and thanks. This awareness and regard for God will always captivate and steer my heart back to Him. A song comes to mind. Hillsong lays moving music to this Scripture in, "Awake My Soul" Fearing God brings wisdom Psalm 111:10a: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is experienc

God is my Father Matthew 6:  "Our Father..." God is my Father. This is an easier concept for me to take in and apply with boldness. I am a NT Christian. But OT believers would have found it awkward and surprising. Calling and speaking with God as Father must have indeed surprised the disciples. God, YHWH, whose name they never uttered, can be spoken to and spoken with. They can now call Him, Father. There is nearness. There is intimacy. There is access. These, I often take for granted. Like a day could pass without me acknowledging His presence and watchful care and provision over my life. Funny, humans are very sensitive when it comes to relationships. We feel bad when we are neglected and dismissed by those closest to us. We know something is wrong when we are left out, when there is disconnection. Yet with God, we can go on for long periods of time, acting in those negative ways, without any thoughts of His feelings. God is a feeling God. We get

Let's see how Psalm 46:10 can help guide us when we pray. Be Still " Be still and know that I am God." God Himself speaks to us about the need to be still and know that He is God. What does it mean to be still? When I think about it, "stillness" is about relaxing, a ready-to-understand word that captures the original meaning. When you relax, you release the tension, you stop striving. You cease your body from your efforts. You cease your mind and heart form thoughts and feelings of busyness, worries, anxieties, etc. We need to relax in this very sense so we can begin realizing and acknowledging that He is INDEED God. Yes. We know that He is God, but the verse is talking more than just simply "knowing" that He is God. It means to clearly understand, to relate, to cohabitate with the fact. Know He is God "Be still and know that I am God. " Scriptures are filled with verses that teach us about God, who He is, how He

Men should always pray & not lose heart The passage for reading was Luke 18: 1-8. This can be hard to digest or understand at times. From where man stands, God seems to delay justice and help at times. These don't always come speedily. I have to trust that what seems like a "delay" for me is part of His Romans 8:28 thing. He is always working all things together. Luke 18:7 hints that God may delay, and in those moments I should not lose heart. I should keep praying. He wants to find faith in me, a faith which is not my strong resolve or determination to trust, but faith that places unwavering confidence in the One that I trust. This kind of faith does not just come by simple pumped-up motivational  or positive thinking. This kind of faith comes by knowing more of WHO HE IS through His Word. I like what  H elps Word Studies   says about "praying" from verse 1. It says, "prayer is exchanging wishes, literally, to interact with the Lord by switch

The subject is about being real with God. And, God does want us and our prayers to be real. God wants us to be deeply intimate with Him. Intimacy requires being real, being honest. Prayers hit home when it expresses your very heart. The most meaningful prayers are not mechanical. It's not rehearsed. It's unguarded. Pete Greig shared one of the most honest prayers he has ever prayed. It made me think a bit. Some of his prayers went  along lines that didn't sit well with me. It's something I have to look into more, 'cause you know, how honest and direct can you be with your complaints and "tantrums" with God?  All the way? No holds barred? Can you be 'out of line'? Indeed, the Bible shares those types of prayers. From Elijah, from Jonah, from Abraham, and more. True. "Prayers are deep expressions of the heart." And the "honest moments are the most important  prayers you can ever make". God invites us to be real, He

How NOT to pray Matthew 6:5-8 is another passage, another instance where the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us about prayer. He does so by pointing out 2 things on how NOT to pray. 1. " Don't be like the hypocrites ." Hypocrites pray to be seen by people. That's their aim, for people to see and maybe to be impressed with their 'prayerfulness'. Jesus, matter of factly says, "Well, they've already got their reward." You want people to admire you, then that's what you get. As for getting God's favor and favorable response, NO way. This is a strong warning about hypocrisy in the Christian. God wants authenticity . He wants sincerity and honesty. He will reject hypocrisy 100% of the time. What does tell us then? We should watch out and guard against hypocrisy in our lives. "Keeping up appearances" is so wrong, especially when you're 'one way' in church and out there but totally 'another way' when you