prayer – The Welcome Home

Pressing on in truth

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I thought of the Scripture today where Paul is talking about pressing on and is saying, “… I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” And I found myself saying, but I just can’t seem to do that. You know, the forgetting what’s behind and pressing on.

O, it’s easy to realize I haven’t attained to something or haven’t apprehended something—that’s easy to see. But it’s not so easy to see the ability to reckon myself to be resolved to forget what’s behind and press on—press toward the mark. And then I realized something I don’t think I’ve noticed (or at least I cannot currently recall noticing) that I have, and have had, a wrong focus. I’ve been focusing on the thing I’m trying to leave behind and I’ve been focusing on what’s ahead in light of what’s behind instead of simply focusing on the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

So what is that high calling? Is it the ability to forget or move on from the mistakes I’ve made, or the wrongs I’ve done, or the sins I’ve committed, or my motherhood failings? Is it to continually recall the failures of my yesterdays and yet recite the script? It’d be so easy to just say: not that I totally get this faith walk, but I am going to move past my failures and press on. And it would be all about me.

And then I marvel at the love of the Lord. I marvel that He is the focus. His life is the pursuit. It’s not so that I can move on and not ache with regret over yesterday that Jesus redeemed my life. Jesus redeemed my life because He loves me and wants me to walk with Him, yield my life to Him, give my hopes and dreams to Him. He redeemed my life that I could bring Him glory and honour… and inexplicably, so that He could show me the marvelous plan and purpose He has for me in this glory-giving, honour-giving life! He died for me that I might know Him, that I might have the fullness of joy, that I might have life – and that, everlasting! And so, why do I press on? That I may know Him.

Wherever you are today, you can know Him… your life is precious and He loves you. If you die tonight, you will either be in heaven or hell for eternity. That’s the truth. Sin separates us from God – do you know that? But there is a remedy — an eternal remedy and it is life, atoning death and life giving resurrection of the Lord Jesus. That’s the truth. We’ve all been separated from God but those who put their trust in Him and call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. That’s the truth. It’s not by works, it by grace through faith in Him. That’s the truth.

You may have, to this point, not repented, not turned from sin and yielded your life to Christ… But today you have this choice before you… you may have failed in the past, but not today… you may have felt unworthy… but God…
Read this from Ephesians chapter 2:
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I pray you’ll go get your Bible… and read more of His great love for you… what He’s done for you… and the life eternal that’s yours in Christ Jesus. This is the truth.

Foundational Verses

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Through the years as I’ve walked with the Lord, as I’ve walked (or crawled) through the Bible, I’ve marked meaningful verses or passages. In doing so, I’ve come to see a pattern for myself: foundational verses that I run to, or stand on, regardless my circumstances.

They are my mental go-to Scriptures when I face trials; they are my affirmations when I see specific provisions or His specific answers to prayer. I say ‘His specific answers to prayer’ bcz they are not necessarily the answers to the prayer requests I made, but surely the answers to the prayers I prayed. Does that make sense? In fact, it’s a good thing when the Lord does not answer the prayers I pray using the suggestions or solutions I offer Him. It’s a good thing He answers according to His will, in His way and in His timing. I’m learning to more quickly recognize and thank Him specifically for this.

O, I’d be in a heap of trouble were He to answer my prayers according to my judgment. I pray or make requests or give offerings to Him according to what I have in my hand – my resources and my understanding — but His answers are according to His limitless resources and His infinite wisdom.

I’m learning to do art journaling in my KJV Journaling Bible. I’m not “an artist” and don’t have the drawing or design skills to do beautiful artwork in the generous space on each page. But I have begun my feeble attempts to highlight specific verses or passages in an artistic way — I use glitter pens, sharpie “no bleed” pens, and water colour pencils to write or illustrate my favourite or foundational verses. I recently decided to make a Pinterest page with links to Bible art journaling images and art supplies — thinking that since they were an inspiration to me, maybe they’d be of help to other sisters in the Lord, too. I’ve thought many times: I’ll never be able to make pages like Karla Dornacher’s beautiful pages… but then I realized that mine won’t and don’t have to look like that to be meaningful to me. Chastened by my own recent blog posts regarding comparisonitis or comparing ourselves with others, I just decided to simply consider the examples and made a determination to not compare my work with theirs, but to glean and be instructed or inspired by the ideas.

As I’ve struggled in different areas of my life, I see the one constant, strong thread is faith and trust in the Lord—and that the struggles are the challenges or testings of my faith and trust. [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 1Timothy 4.6
[/cp_quote]When I faint in the day of adversity, my strength is small and when I’m alarmed at situations or feel impending doom when I hear of problems, I see in that initial response (and a red flag) that my eyes are not on the Lord, they’re on my circumstances; my hope is dashed when it’s based on what I see around me—but it’s bolstered when I place all my hope Him. This is why I determine to be in the Word, to be fortified by it and to be strengthened in faith—the faith of Jesus. And I assure you, it is an act of faith or an act of obedience to be in the Word and in prayer—these are not natural desires, these are truly, literally, God given desires. Left to myself, I would fret or despair or give up hope–but in faith, I press on (Philippians 3.14). It’s what Jesus did, it’s what He calls me (and you) to do and it’s where I find Him each day. It’s the foundation on which I stand.

Waiting.

Waiting. Perhaps the simplest and most difficult action we’re commanded is waiting. I don’t know if anything epitomizes our sin nature more than our natural response to waiting. We’re naturally prone to not wait. To not want to wait. To not seek to wait. More often than not, we believe or live as though we believe otherwise. Think of the times you’ve exclaimed, “I cannot wait!” in reference to an upcoming event or for somewhere you want to go or for something you want to do or for someone you want to see. But in the end, you waited, though you thought you could not.

Most of us have heard or been told at one time or another, Don’t just stand there, do something! But that’s not really walking in faith, is it? I think that waiting is often the greatest demand in walking in faith. [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. –Psalm 27.14[/cp_quote] It’s more Don’t just do something, Stand there action that’s required in true and living faith. Standing still is a very active place of faith.

So much of the time, our experiences define our action in or our reaction to life’s situations instead of Scriptural truths defining our actions and reactions or instead of faith defining our actions or reactions in and to life’s situations. I find this is true more often than I would like to think by this stage in my life. I’d like to think I’d be “further along” by now—I surely thought this would be so, anyway. But, no. I’m still often like my little girl self who could not wait for an event or an accomplishment or a certain age. Even though all those things I couldn’t wait for have come to pass — and were, for the most part, very different than what I thought I couldn’t wait for. And, thankfully so.

Why then, are we instructed to wait? Why were the children of Israel instructed to wait? Why do we teach our children, over and over again, to wait? I think it’s bcz we and they would not choose what’s best, would not seek the Lord’s will, would not obey His directions were it not for the instruction and education that waiting provides. We’d not choose some of the methods He would use for our good and His glory–but in the end, they’re exactly what we’d choose had we all the facts in the beginning. This is the grace and mercy of God.

Some nineteen years ago, within a very short period of time, we needed to find a new place to live and thus began our search in earnest. We drove all over the place, searching, looking, hunting for the perfect home. And indeed, we thought we’d found it. But early one morning later that week, we were awakened by the Lord and impressed that it wasn’t the right home for us and we quickly ended the negotiation process. It was a Friday morning. We determined to wait — to wait on the Lord through the weekend and not do a thing about our eminent need. We prayed—and we knew the Lord had heard our prayer. We determined to wait on Him.

Monday came and through the course of the day, we looked for a home with an address we’d been given. We never found it and, in a bit of sinking despair, we were headed back to our house. On the way, I noticed an inconspicuous sign on a post, For Sale by Owner. I called the number, heard all the details about the home and even though we could not meet the criteria, I went along with our children and saw the home. It was just right. And within days, it was confirmed to us that it was just right.

Can God provide a table in the wilderness? Does He command us to stand still and wait and see what He will do? Yes, and yes. It’s not because it’s been my experience that this is true, though it is, it’s true because God commanded it to be so that it’s true. He hears us when we pray. He answers in His timing according to His plans and purposes. When we think He hasn’t answered, we think He hasn’t heard us. But that is not true—He hears because He is God, He knows all things, sees all things, hears all things. We so often rest on our experiences to prove God instead of resting on His promises to prove Himself. This, we know by faith, this we learn in waiting on Him. Waiting for Him.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him,
and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

Standing in the Son

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Though I use it most every day, it’s only every now and then that I take note of the verse imprinted on the cover of the notebook I’m currently using: “May the Lord bless you and keep you, and give you peace.” from Numbers 6.24-26

I have dozens of such books since I began note-taking & journaling many years ago. I’ve made a concerted effort to revisit the books from time to time — not only to see where I’ve been compared to where I am today, but to see what the Lord was showing me in Scripture, sermons, notes, plans, etc., etc., and take note now of how the Lord answered those questions, situations, needs, prayers — to see what became of what I thought was important enough to record… notes I wrote, articles I clipped, ideas I gathered and plans I made.

As I’ve been writing notes, gathering ideas and making plans lately, I see I’ve been hurried and unsettled; the future seems hard and the way seems dark sometimes. And I have to wonder: where’s the Lord in all these thoughts? Knowing that He is the God of all comfort, the God of all peace, the God who heals, supplies, redeems, I have to admit, He’s not at the center (or the author) of those doubtful thoughts—He’s not at the center (or the author) of dark thoughts.

So, then, I have to deduce that those thoughts are not of Him and, in faith, I need to replace them with Truth—what does God say? —where is God in all this? Instantly I think of Philippians 4.19: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

When I read through old journals and notebooks, the common thread that I see in all the books is the thread of faith in Jesus — His truth, presence, provision and protection. It’s been Jesus. All day every day. That’s what I wanted then. That’s what I want now. Actually, now more than ever. I want to be seeing Him and I want Him to be seen in me.

When I see the Stong’s 2424 number for Jesus, I think: Yes, that’s what I want: the will, the blessing, the keeping, the presence, the joy, the leading, the peace and the love of Jesus, 24/24: all day-all day… every day-every day.

I want to be found standing in the Son.

encouragement for prayer

As I was reading my Bible, I began to pray specifically for one of my boys. This often happens as I am reading along and am inspired by the text to stop and pray or to make personal application to a particular situation or for a particular individual or family.

Well, the other day as I was reading and praying, I was greatly comforted by God’s gracious love toward us and how, though occasionally quite painful or difficult, the Lord works all things for our good and His glory. Each trial or difficulty seems (perhaps not till long after the fact) to be specifically arranged and ordered that maximum benefit and growth can be realized — and a deepening life message is continually written.

I often pray Colossians 1.11 for my husband and children, praying: “[O Lord, that they might be] Strengthened with all might, according to [Your] his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” And then I might continue praying more specifically for a particular situation or need. I write these things down in my journal so that when rereading them later, I might be able to make a note how the Lord answered that particular prayer or need. I’m amazed through the years all the different things the Lord has brought to pass in such marvelous ways — ways I’d never have asked or imagined. He only does well… His ways are only good… all the time.

So I was praying for that boy…

Philippians 1.9-11 “… And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” And my prayer continued from there…

You know, as mothers, we often don’t know how to pray or what to pray about a particular situation or need and I think it’s in such times that we really do gain deeper love for the LORD and a greater appreciation for His Word — as in it we find loving consolation and Truth. I’ve found through the years that when my mind wanders in prayer I lose site of the reality of the presence of God — and the instant remedy is to return to His Word — no sooner do I begin reading than He meets me right at my point of need. Delightfully, my need is not what I initially thought it was.

In this weary, sin-sick world, we’re in such need of Truth — there are so many deceptions, so many subtle lies and distractions — O, that we would have the mind of Christ and the desire to see Him and the will to obey Him.

Wherever you are, whatever you do… He’ll be there.