Wasting time with God. That's what some people call it. It's the time we spend with the Father/Jesus/Holy Spirit when it seems like nothing is going on. We're not conversing, we're just enjoying each other's company, sharing the same space. Perhaps it's like a long-married couple who don't talk so much any more, but they don't want to be away from each other either. In a book I read recently an older gentleman told his adult children, when their mother had to spend some time in hospital, "You're mother and I have never spent a night apart. I don't intend to start now." So he slept in his wife's hospital room. Conversation is not always necessary, but presence is. If we've never spent time like this with God, it can be helpful to imagine our favorite place - a beach, the mountains, the woods - and invite God to join us. Replace the present with God's presence.
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With regard to the prophets, such as Elijah whom we've been reading about, I'm not sure how far in advance God spoke to them about what he wanted them to do. For example, we don't see, "God said to him, 'Next month I want you to go to the desert.'" It always appears to be immediate instructions that are given. Sometimes there are long periods when the prophet is not speaking for God. Elijah waited during the 3 years of the drought before God told him to go back and speak to King Ahab again. What did he do during those 3 years? We could assume he did whatever type of work he was doing before God called him to speak to Ahab. Although he fled his home and went to Zarephath, perhaps he had a skill or trade that could be practiced anywhere. But even if he was able to practice his trade in Zarephath, he had left his home and his family behind. Nor do we know how old he was. Was he about the same age as Ahab? Older? Younger? What we do know about Elijah is that he had a relationship with God; he listened to God; he waited on God; he was devoted to God. When God spoke, Elijah listened. For Reflection: Where am I? Do I have a relationship with God? Do I listen to God? Do I wait on God? Am I devoted to God? If God called me to drop everything and do something for him, would I do it? Let us pray. God, I tell people you are the most important person in my life, but I see now that may true. I'm not sure that I could drop everything to follow your instructions. How do I build my trust in you to the point where I could do that? "Go and make disciples" is a powerful command from Jesus which is not to be taken lightly. Last weekend we at Manna Prayer made an effort to "Go" by having a space at a local Labor Day Festival. Amid booths for home remodeling, drug addiction, and candidates for public office, we offered to pray with people. A number of folks stopped by to inquire and some to share faith. We passed out brochures and business cards. Just a simple effort to bring Jesus into the public square. For Reflection: What efforts am I making to fulfill the great commission of Jesus to "Go!"? Let us pray. Jesus, I don't find it easy to go out among people and talk about you publicly. However, if you can use me, I'm willing. Our weapon against Satan is words, so what we have is a war of words. Some might not consider words to be very powerful. But we are not speaking of words of diplomacy. These are not the words of Secretary of State. We are speaking words with the same power as God's words of creation. When we speak, all of creation listens.
God's word did not go forth at the time of creation without effecting what he set forth to do. His word does not go forth void now (Isaiah 55:11). No, the word of God is living, active and sharp. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart and applies to all of creation (Hebrews 4:12). Since we are praying again today on behalf of the persecuted Christians around the world, how then ought we to pray? We need to pray aloud and our words might be something like the following. As always, please feel free to add your own prayers. We command all man-made weapons to be silenced and broken and to never work again (Isaiah 54:17). We send the word of God into the hearts and minds of those who have a murdering spirit: you shall not kill (Exodus 20:13). We proclaim the word of God to all who worship false gods: you shall worship the Lord, the God who brought the Hebrew people out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 20;2-3). We command those with a spirit of hatred and covetousness: you shall not rape women, nor evict people from their homes (Exodus 20:14-17). We proclaim the word of God for all to hear: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Mark 12:29). You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:13). Sit, walk, build, put off, put on. What's next? In our brief review of Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, we have come across these command verbs. We are to sit with Christ in the heavenly places. This is a time of resting in Him and learning who He is and who we are. When we have done this, we are to walk in the ways Christ has shown us. We are to build one another up into the mature body of Christ. Then put off our old ways, and put on the new ways of Christ. So what is next? Imitate God. Paul writes, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2). We learn that we are dearly loved children when we sit in the place of rest with him and learn his ways. When we sit with him in the heavenly places, we observe the ways of the kingdom of God. Since Jesus and the Father are one, when we learn the ways of Jesus, we learn the ways of the Father (and the Holy Spirit). That is how we learn what is to be imitated. Children learn by imitating their parents. Even Paul did not begin his apostolic life by going out right away to do things. He began by learning about Jesus and learning new ways of living and loving. He began from that place of rest in Christ before he began to preach. Although he began with "the big reveal", he had to learn to walk all over again. He had to learn to build rather than tear down. He had to put off his old ways before he could put on the new. He had to learn to imitate God when he himself had not seen Jesus in his earthly life. For Reflection: There are many ways to learn to imitate God: reading and studying the Scriptures, prayer, meditation, walking with others who are more mature than we are. And, if we belong to a sacramental church, availing ourselves of the sacraments. Let us pray. Jesus, we know that you do not leave us adrift when it comes to learning how to follow you. Help us, your beloved children, to grow more like you every day. What do you want me to grow in today? There are some arguments against healing by Christians. The first is that healing was meant for the early years of the Church in order to give weight or proof to the Gospel but it was not meant to continue and is not necessary now. (Again, I give only the briefest summary here.) My response is that healing never completely died out in the Church and the Gospel still needs to be preached with signs and wonders. People still get sick today and seek healing. God still heals today. The second argument is that it is not always God's will to heal. There are a couple of responses to that. If we don't know whether or not it is God's will to heal someone (and, as I pointed out before, Jesus healed everyone who came to him in faith asking for healing), why not pray until we know God's will and then pray in accord with what we have discerned of God's will? That way we are praying in accord with God's will. God does not "put" any sickness on us; God does not make us sick. God is all good. Jesus came that we might have life to the full, abundant life (John 10:10). Nowhere does Jesus say, "My Father gave you this sickness so that you could learn ...." Let us pray. Father, show us your will regarding healing today. Show us what it means to have life to the full, to have abundant life. Today is an excellent day to praise God with an early Christian prayer called the Te Deum. You are God: we praise you; You are the Lord: we acclaim you; You are the eternal Father; All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not spurn the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory. We believe that you will come, and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Let us spend today praising the Lord for his goodness. Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. From everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. (Psalm 103:1-5, 8, 11, 17-18) "He'll have to change his mindset for this race," the speed skating commentator said as another group prepared for a qualifying race. The young people in the Olympics are often described as envisioning their entire routine before they take to the ice or the slopes. They've been taught to picture themselves perfectly executing their routine, their race, their downhill run. If they can't picture it, they won't attain it. To return to the sports world, for many years no one ran a mile in under 4 minutes. It was thought to be impossible, until someone did it (Roger Bannister). The bar was raised and runners began to think in terms of less than 4 minutes. We too can raise the bar of what we expect God to accomplish through our lives and in our world by putting on the mind of Christ and remembering that he can do more than we can ask or imagine Many years ago I had a pastor who started to preach a little longer on Sundays. You could tell people in the church were getting restless. Finally one Sunday he said, "Tell me how much time you are going to spend watching football this afternoon." No one dared answer him. So he asked, "Will it be three or four hours?" Heads nodded. "Then I think we can give God another 15 minutes now," he concluded. I'm reminded of this because the football season in the U.S. ended yesterday. People who lament not having time for prayer or Bible study (among them many football fans) should be able to find a little more room in their schedule on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights. The same is true for fans when the soccer, basketball and hockey seasons are over. Of course, it's not just sports fans who have trouble finding time for prayer. Parents with children, people taking care of the sick and the elderly, those working two or three jobs - all have the challenge of time for prayer. And God deserves quality time, not just a moment here and there on the fly. For reflection: Let's take a look at our schedules. Is there anything that can be re-arranged or set aside? God is ready. Where and when can we meet him? Let us pray. "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways" (Psalm 139:1-2). |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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