Prayer

How about a few thoughts on prayer?

Prayer is. . .

. . .love’s tender dialogue between the soul and God. (John Richard Moreland)

. . .opening ourselves to God so that he can open us to others. (Louis Evely)

. . .the possibility to affect everything that affects us. (E.M. Bounds)

. . .putting ourselves in the hands of God. (Mother Teresa)

. . .the key of the morning and bolt at night (Unknown)

. . .the link that connects us with God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and carries us safely over every chasm of danger or need. (A.B. Simpson)

. . .the first step to meeting any challenge. (Ron Hehl)

. . .the central avenue God uses to transform us. (Richard Foster)

Let us pray.

Anger Management

Is there an anger that is healthy? Aristotle said that healthy anger happens when it is expressed:

with the right person
to the right degree
at the right time
for the right purpose
in the right way

Think through those for a second. That’s really good advice!

We know anger happens. Hey, even Jesus got angry, really angry at times, and he didn’t sin with it or because of it. How about us? Well...

Let’s remind ourselves of a couple really important passages, one from James 1 and another from Ephesians 4.

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

But what if it happens?

"‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

Unreleased, unresolved anger really gives the Enemy an opportunity to destroy you. We need to deal with it, and old Aristotle lays out a pretty good plan.

Say What?

A man left his cat with his younger brother while he went on vacation. Arriving back, he called his brother to make arrangements to pick up the cat. The brother simply said, "The cat died while you were away."

The man was very upset and yelled, "You should’ve broken the news to me better than that! When I called today, you should’ve said the cat was on the roof and wouldn’t come down. Then when I called the next day, you could’ve said that he had fallen off and the vet was working on him. Then when I called the third day, you could’ve said he had passed away."

The brother thought about it and apologized. The older brother accepted his apology and then asked, "So how’s Mom?"

The younger brother hesitated and then said, "She’s on the roof and won’t come down?"

OK, I’m not sure what kind of application to make with that?

Maybe that what we say is important, but how we say things is also important?

Let’s just smile and head into the weekend! I hope you have a good one, and go to church for Heaven’s sake!

Joy in the Morning

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

David said that in Psalm 30. We all have problems, struggles, and, at times, live with broken hearts.

It’s easy to allow these things to dominate and consume us. At some point, we must turn our focus away from ourselves and toward God’s love and faithfulness.

Old Jeremiah, not the bullfrog but the prophet (ha ha - sorry), sure had a hard time. He watched in horror as his countrymen and his city were destroyed.

Jeremiah had warned them to change their ways. They didn’t, and to make matters worse, they rejected, tormented, tortured, and silenced him.

Jeremiah was angry, angry with God and everyone else. In Lamentations 3, amidst some strong accusations and complaints against God, he turns his focus back toward God’s love.

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." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

There really is joy in the beginning of a new day, if we are aware of God’s loving presence, no matter what.

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

The Face of a Broken Heart

Have you seen it? Maybe you saw it when you last looked into a mirror.

The face of a broken hearted person.

I see them a lot. I see them at the end of funerals, when a man says good-bye to his wife of 60+ years. I see them when parents bury a child, and I see them in the courtroom, where the painful past is relived in the present. I see faces of the brokenhearted a lot.

I saw one the other day at a public event. I watched a woman I barely know watch her ex-husband walk away holding hands with a new girlfriend. I can only imagine how broken her heart is. Her face said it was very broken.

We’ve all experienced a broken heart, and some live with them. It shows on their faces.

To them, to us, I share these wonderful reminders of God’s presence.

Psalm 34:18 — The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Thank you, Lord.

Sound of Silence

Why does it seem that God is so silent when we most want to hear from him?

C.S. Lewis, in Till We Have Faces, says this:

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?"

"You are yourself the answer." Do you believe that? Pretty hard isn’t it? God says nothing because his promised presence is enough. Faith says, "He is the answer. He is sufficient."

Silence does not mean absence.

On the cross, Jesus, quoting Psalm 22, cries out words that sometimes we feel and own, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The silence of God is painful, and the referenced Psalm 22 appeals for God to be present in crisis.

And He is.

The same God who was silent on Friday was not absent. He was working a plan, and he raised Jesus from the dead on Sunday morning. If you follow Jesus, then he promises to raise you too.

Please don’t mistake silence for absence.

Be still and know. Find rest and peace.

God is Enough

"We don’t realize that God is all we need until God is all we’ve got."

Bad things happen to good people. All the time. Why?

I don’t know, but I believe the essence of faith is trusting God with all mystery and unanswered questions. I also believe that he is very interested in what happens to you, but I think he is even more interested in what you become as a result.

God is redemptive, working in the bad to make good, to make you better not bitter. That requires faith and a certain mind-set.

A long time ago, Paul said this (2 Cor. 1):

. . .We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

As this week unfolds, no matter what’s going on or what happens, we have a God who loves us and wants us to rely on his resurrection power. Wow!

Stay focused and encouraged!