Car Trouble

Yesterday, on my way to work, I realized my car was jerking very strangely.

Meanwhile, during some downtime at work, I brainstormed about all these ideas to improve our budget and be wiser stewards of our money.

During my lunch break, I called Kenny and mentioned to him about the problems the car was having as I was driving the car to have it washed/vacumned. We both decided it was probably the spark plugs and that they weren't firing correctly. As I was talking to him on the phone, the car started acting even stranger and soon the check engine light was blinking and I had to pull over soon or my car was going to not run anymore.

Thankfully, I pulled into an Auto Parts Store Parking Lot. The Lord was so gracious. Kenny talked me through what to do. I had the number in my phone to call the towing/auto shop. I called them and they towed my car. My Supervisor graciously came to pick me up. I was back at work in just a few minutes and as I type this morning, the car is being worked on in the shop (indeed, the spark plugs were the problem).

There I was planning the budget and coming up with this GREAT idea to save our household income and then my car broke down and now we have to pay a not so exciting sum for the towing, parts, and labor. The Lord used that experience to remind me is that it is not Kenny and I that provide for our family; He does. Our savings, budget, and planning can all be diminished in an uncontrollable second. Thankfully, he has supplied the resources to pay to get our car fixed. All the resources always come from Him- even when we've saved for them in our budget. Budgets are great and very wise, but even wiser is the fact that it is the Lord who is ultimately in control of our finances. I was reminded yet again to never use my "budget, planning and savings skills" as an excuse to not trust Him. That's what my little car problems reminded me of yesterday. Praise the Lord!

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people in ruin and destruction."

-1 Timothy 6:7-9 (ESV)

How then shall we pray?

Dear brothers and sisters, 

Our first post was about prayer in general and a biblical exhortation to prayer. However, when one is exhorted to such a high thing it sometimes requires a little explanation. This is particularly true in the light of current developments in so-called Christianity. (what I would otherwise consider commercial Christianity) When the disciples observed the life of our savior. They did not ask him to teach them how to tell parables; how to draw in the sand; how to insult the religious elite; how to look pious; how to multiply food; or even how to cast out demons. No, the greatest miracle that Jesus worked was prayer. They observed his prayer life, and they wanted whatever it was that he did. Consider that they may have never seen a man properly pray, and here was one who prayed perfectly. One who approached the throne of grace with confidence. One who knew God, and lived in subjection to Him. Then Jesus said pray in this way. (meaning "pray like this", not "pray these words exactly") 

Our father in Heaven,

hallowed be your name. (hallowed = praised, glorified)

Your kingdom come, 

your will be done, 

on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, 

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

(Matt. 6:9-13)

This is the method that Jesus taught the disciples to pray, and I believe it is the method that he intended for us. How can I be so sure? Because it is stated in general terms, and because God saw fit, by His providence, to have it put in this way, and because he denounced the idea of praying word for word magical prayer utterances and incantations. (which are of the devil) 

Thus brothers and sisters, loved ones, be encouraged today when you feel that there is little that you can do to influence a friend, or a loved one; When you feel that you are in a hopeless situation; When you feel the weight of your transgressions; when the filth of this world drives you mad; and especially when the person in the mirror drives you mad. Pray! Prayer is the strongest thing that any Christian man or woman can do. There is nothing else. It is recognition that everything rests in the hands of God and that He controls all things. Pray, because He is worthy of the praise from your lips. Now your lips may not be worthy to praise Him, but He is worthy of the praise that comes form them. Be joyful! Know that Jesus beckons for you to give Him your burdens. He loves those burdens, and because He is God, He will not grow weary bearing the load. In fact, He will not even feel it. He sustains this universe every second, and has always done so. It has not wearied Him. Do not fear that you might, He is not a mere human. Cling to Him in prayer! Run to Him in prayer! Please fill your head with theology and the word of God, but before and after PRAY! That is the only way that logical propositions become livable actualities. God has ordained the act of prayer to be the greatest miracle. The little wretched man. A blind ugly worm, doing what he can to squirm out of the will of God. (notice I said trying, oh and you are that worm, as am I)  Worthless to the core, and two faced if ever there was. Can come into the presence of a mighty perfect Holy God, and find peace, rest, and joy where he should find anger, judgement, and wrath. That my dear brothers and sisters is the miracle. Prayer has little to do with our changing of God's will, that Im glad to say is an impossibility.  However, it has everything to do with grace, and with glorifying a mighty God. What gives a father more joy that when His son looks at him and says, "father, I cannot, but you are more than able. I trust you father." That is true worship. Give God the glory. He deserves your time, was it not He who gave it, and though you've squandered what He has given, He gives again. Invest it in worship, while its still there to invest. Do not in this moment neglect so great a salvation.

In Christ alone

    Kenny

Prayer

Claire and I have started a family blog in hopes that it will encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our prayer that Jesus Christ will guide you as you read this blog, and that he leads you on quiet paths by still waters (Ps 23). That is why this initial blog will be entitled and dedicated to prayer. There is so much misconception about what prayer is, that one must first reflect on what it is not. Jesus said that appropriate prayer is not of vain repetition. He even goes as far as to say that this is meaningless. How does this affect the believer? First, God does not honor your prayer more because you put enough our "Lords" or "Our Lords" in it. He does not smile when you repeat the model prayer, otherwise known as the Lord's Prayer. His eardrums are not tickled when you act like you are holy, because you can speak really really fast. There are those who think that they must put on an act when they pray, as if by changing their voice they might open up a direct line with the most Holy. This may come from them observing and learning from those who pray badly, or they may think that they can fool God. Others are so flippant when they pray that they simply pray whatever falls from their brain and out of their mouth first, however they give little thought to their words or the consequences of those words. This may stem from a form of Christianity that gives very little thought to Christ or God the Father, but instead gives precedence to man and his impressions. Obviously, that form is a lie and not true faith. So if prayer is not a mere shutting of the eyes and mumbling flippantly about this or that, then what is it?

There are two things to be said about prayer. First, it is to be practiced in the quiet and alone. Second,  it is to be done in groups as an act of fellowship with one another, service for one another, and ultimately communal worship and supplication before the throne of God.

To the first point. 1 Thess. 5:17 states that believers are to pray without ceasing. This is the idea of walking with God continually. Now, before anyone begins to think that this is something we do as a favor to God, let me express that this is done in obedience to God, out of a love and joy for His presence that can only come from Grace which He has given us in Christ ( you may desire to read that a few times, it's a lot deeper than it sounds to the American ear) The end result is obedience to Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Again this can only be conjured in the heart of man, through the Grace of Jesus Christ. Again after a parable Jesus states that a man is to pray in his closet and not in the open where men may hear and think that he is righteous because of his prayer. Thus there is a gross need for personal prayer, which is expressed by one being made prostrate before the throne of the almighty God in humble service and simple supplication. There is another component. Prayer is not mere talking, but also a sitting back and listening. This listening is done with the opened Bible, and in scripture memorization. We do not look at existential experience, or mere knowledge for our answers. God does not rely on the perception of man to reveal himself perfectly, because man does not perceive perfectly, but instead God reveals himself perfectly through his word, and that is the foundation of Christian belief. Dear Christian do you see your high calling? Are you a priest in his kingdom of priests? O what a high and lofty calling! To fall before the Lord and be allowed to speak to Him directly! How beautiful! How wonderful! How scary!

Finally prayer is to be done in groups as an act of fellowship with one another, service for one another, and ultimately communal worship and supplication before the throne of God. First, every-time early Christians gathered together they prayed together. This was the common practice. I pray that you would take part in that with brothers and sisters. There is little on earth that compares with praying with fellow believers. To hear how our Father has formed their hearts to love Him and worship Him. It is in these moments that one sees the church as a body, each loving differently and recognizing truths in different ways. This communal prayer is commanded in James 5:16, and there is nothing more freeing. Prayer is also a service to other believers. This is also commanded in James 5:16 (i'm not going to type it because I want you to go look it up). When we pray for the needs of other believers God receives more glory as His mercies and answered prayers are revealed throughout the Church body. Also, it is a way to serve one another, which is what we must be about doing continually. Lastly, this is worship before the throne of God. When an Amercian Church member  says the word worship, he typically has in mind a cheesy man standing behind a guitar belting out romantic love songs about his love for God. That my friend is not worship. Worship is recognition of the attributes of God and reveling in those attributes, and the grace that one can even recognize those attributes. All in all worship is the only response to the Gospel. When we sing congregationally  it should be in prayer and worship to God. When we gather together to play board games, to cut wood, to watch a movie it should be done prayerfully and as an act of worship. A famous preacher named Paul Washer smashed my idols when he said that there is no idea in scripture about things being secular and others being sacred, as far as the Christian life is concerned. You see that is a Catholic idea, not a Christian one. All things in the life of a Christian are sacred, and are to be done as acts of worship. Paul washer says that even the pots and pans in Christian house are sacred. This is true. So much more then is your personal prayer life. O reader would you please seek God? Even now would you bow before his awesome holiness? Will you dance for the mere fact that you can bow before that holiness as a justified man/ woman? Three quotes and I am done. Charles Spurgeon is the person I turned to five years ago to learn how to pray. This is what I have learned from him. "The lack of personal prayer is the Locust that is eating the Church."; "There is a vulgar notion that prayer is a very easy thing, a kind of common business that may be done anyhow, without care or effort. Some thing that you have only to reach a book down and get through a certain number of very excellent words, and you have prayed and may put the book up again; others suppose that to use a book is superstitious, and that you ought rather to repeat extemporaneous sentences, sentences which come to your mind with a rush, like a herd of swine or a pack of hounds, and when you have uttered them with some little attention to what you have said, you have prayed. Now neither of these modes of prayer were adopted by ancient saints. They seem to have thought a great deal more seriously of prayer than many do now-a-days." "God forbid that our prayer should be a mere leaping out of one's bed and kneeling down, and saying anything that comes first to hand; on the contrary, may we  wait upon the Lord with holy fear and sacred awe."

We pray that you are encouraged by this. Please seek our holy Father. He is there and will not turn His child away. O that we spent more time before the throne than in mere mindless entertainments. Who at the end of their life will say, " I wish that I had spent more time in front of the television"; or "Man, if I had only filled my mind with a little more filth"? Love what God has created, but as you enjoy life and enjoy what the Lord has made...Worship! O seek God! Seek Him while He might be found! Seek Him because He is worthy of every second because he has given you every second as a gift, not to be squandered, but to be invested!!! Seeek Him o Christian, and when you find Him please do not be quick to look away.