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Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

17 May

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

Dear God, I just don’t know anything, and, yet, I tend to think I know so much. I was thinking yesterday about the woman who founded our nonprofit 30 years ago. She didn’t know what would happen after you inspired her. She just knew she was supposed to come home from that Christian conference and get some doctors and nurses to volunteer to give people a free clinic. You grew the seed from there.

I just got word yesterday that a man I know is facing the end of life with a cancer diagnosis. His family is facing it too, obviously. I wish I knew what to do. He is a good man, and he has kept busy. I pray that he will be at peace and he and his family will have the strength to endure the next few weeks. I pray that you will use this pain to touch them and reveal yourself to them in a new way. And use it in the lives of others as well. Please don’t let it be wasted. And please help him to not suffer. And for their daughter as well. She is a special needs young woman and I don’t know if that will make this harder or easier for her, but I pray that you will walk with her.

Father, show me the work you have for me to do today. Help me to keep busy under your guidance and leadership. Bless the work I do so that it might multiply for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2022 in Ecclesiastes

 

Acts 1:20-22

14 May

20 Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

21 “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— 22 from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

Acts 1:20-22

Dear God, I’ve talked about this before, but I think it’s a good reminder to be patient. I think (and every theologian in the world might disagree with me, and maybe I am, indeed, wrong) that Peter jumped the gun here. He’s on his own for the first time in three years–without Jesus and in seemingly in charge. So he is looking for something to do and I think he is using his head instead of praying about what to do next. I think that he should have been waiting patiently for what ended up being Pentecost and the Holy Spirit coming over him in chapter 2 and then addressing the crowd in verse 2:14.

How does this play into my life now? My tendency right now is to force some things that I don’t like in my life. To be impatient. But even this morning, my job is to wait. It’s to pray, seek your presence and wait. Part of seeking your presence and being in your presence is becoming aware of sin I’ve allowed into my life. Idols. Selfishness. Lethargy. Whatever it might be, as I sit with you I cannot be in your presence without being aware of how sullied I am and inadequate to be with you. So I take an inventory, I repent, and I commit to you to do better.

Father, as I wait on you and your timing, I thank you for loving me and being here with me right now. I thank you for the bridge that Jesus is between you and me. I thank you for the peace you give me. For the joy. Please forgive me for my selfishness and for the times when I turn away from you. Forgive me for when I indulge my own desires instead of following your call. Forgive me for my impatience and my lack of faith in you, your timing, and your plan. Give me this day my daily bread. Help me to extend to others the grace you’ve given to me. Use my life to bring your kingdom and your will into this world.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2022 in Acts

 

Ephesians 4:31-32

11 May

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

Dear God, like all sin, whether it’s anything from lying, to lust, to intoxication, to the things listed in verse 31 above, they feel so so good in the moment, but the good feeling is hollow and short-lived. Then we are faced with a choice as we sit there in emptiness: Do we keep chasing the good feeling through diving deeper into these things or do we turn, repent, take the time to rebuild the damage caused by these things and then embrace the things you have said are good for us?

The rebuild is always harder than the teardown. Trust is something that is lost over a moment, but only regained with time and experience. I had someone I trusted completely at one point. After only a few betrayals and lies, my trust for them was shattered and it’s still not completely back. Am I bitter against them? No, I’ve gotten over a lot of my bitterness (although there is still some anger and deep hurt remaining). But I am also careful about how much I expose myself to them and make myself vulnerable to them. I am still have tenderness in my heart for them. I forgive them. But I still have up some walls.

Father, show me the path forward with all of those in my life whom I do not trust. Show me how to be the kind, tenderhearted, forgiving man you have called me to be. Do all of this for the sake of my soul and peace and for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2022 in Ephesians

 

Matthew 18:15-17

10 May

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Matthew 18:15-17

Dear God, there are some people who have things against me, yet I have no idea what they are. I guess my prayer today is simple. Somehow, show them this verse and encourage them to follow it. And when they do, give me the grace to receive it and repent of whatever I did or continue to do wrong.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2022 in Matthew

 

Luke 15:12-13a

09 May

The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land…”
Luke 15:12-13a

Dear God, I know this is a parable to describe your relationship with us, but I still want to sit with the father in this moment. Until the son showed back up, this is where the father’s knowledge stops. He doesn’t know the boy blew all of the money. He doesn’t know how he spent it. He doesn’t know he’s broke and starving. For all he knows, the boy could be out living a good life, being responsible, and he will never be seen again.

I live in a small town that just finished a year of celebrating its 175th year of settlement. 176 years ago, a group of Prussians (now Germans) left everything behind to come to start fresh in America. I’d never thought about their individual motivations before going to a worship service last Thursday, but most of them were saying goodbye to family forever, never to be seen or heard from again. Some of them were probably alone in the world with nothing to lose, but I’m sure there were some who were like the boy in the parable: “I’ve had it with you people. I’m out of here.” Then those that loved them were left. It was like a death.

I’ve experienced this kind of pain. It’s probably why I’m unwilling to inflict it upon others even though that is certainly my temptation. But I know the depths to which it cuts. I can’t do that to someone else. After all, you would never abandon me. How can I completely abandon someone else.

Father, I’m sorry I turn my back on you. I’m sorry I’ve allowed myself to turn my back on others at times. And I don’t mind telling you that my current pain is great. Be in my multiple situations and heal it all. And if this pain must be experienced, please make it count.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2022 in Luke

 

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

04 May

9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Dear God, I think it can be said of me that I have an earnest heart, but not a bold one. I do wonder sometimes if I wasn’t designed by you to be more of a #2 and not a #1 on the org chart. For example, I would never pray this prayer. I’ve never prayed it before, and I have no intention of praying it now. I don’t know how I would separate it out from making an idol out of me and the things I want. To expect you to bless me, expand my territory (power, influence, possessions, etc.). To think that I would be presumptuous enough to ask you to keep me from all trouble and pain. Who am I to ask such a thing?!? You have granted me so much more than I deserve. How could I possibly ask for more.

So that’s the noble side of my personality. But there is a cautious, maybe even lazy side as well. I don’t push. I don’t boldly pursue new opportunities–neither for myself nor for the organization for which I work. I look for natural opportunities. I let things develop organically. But I don’t rush to plant new fields. I don’t sod a new area and then let it take root. I’m more the type that lets the existing grass grow into the blank space naturally. Yes, taking care of the existing grass takes work and effort, but it’s just a completely different philosophy than I carry naturally.

Father, as I go through this day and the days to come, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. And in the spirit of this passage, give me the courage to change the things I can. And above all, give me the wisdom to know the difference. And when it is time to grow, please bring your blessing to it and raise up people who will work with me to fill the holes I have in my own being. You didn’t make me to be 100% capable. If you did then I wouldn’t need your or anyone else. But I am flawed. I have shortcomings. I need you. I need others. Thank you for being with me so faithfully. And I do have specific requests. You know what they are.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2022 in 1 Chronicles

 

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1 John 5:13-15

02 May

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
1 John 5:13-15

Dear God, I’ve gotten to the point in my life we’re I try to be careful about what I ask of you. I know that my requests can be foolish. I might pray for an outcome that is out of your plan. I might want something for myself or my children that will get in the way of what you are trying to do. The same goes for my work, my community, my country and even the world. I don’t know what you’re doing or how it all works out. There are things in my life that, to the human eye, look like complete failure. But I have prayed to you about them incessantly. My wife has prayed about them. So now I am just trusting that this is the path you need us to walk to accomplish what you have to accomplish. After all, Jesus taught us to pray, “YOUR kingdom come and YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

I have a big event tonight for the nonprofit where I work. It’s a fundraising event and my temptation is to go into it wanting to hit our revenue goal and impress the board of directors. I want to be able to point to how “good” I am at my job and use it to make me feel good about myself. The truth, however, is that you might have completely different goals for tonight, and none of them might pertain to money or my reputation. There might be one person in the audience who needs to see you and what you can do in their life. There might be one person who is inspired to work with us or some other nonprofit in town. There might be someone who decides they have missed you and wants to repent before you.

Father, my request of you for this dinner is that you will do with it what you want. We are spending $25,000 to put this thing on. Be glorified in all of it. Use it. Use it to help us raise money for our work and help us to be good stewards of that money. Use it to touch lives. Use it to bless our staff. Use it to let your will be done and your kingdom to come on earth and in our town as it is in heaven. Give us the daily bread that we need as an organization to do the work you have for us to do, and give us a vision for what that work is.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2022 in 1 John

 

1 Samuel 28:4-15a

29 Apr

4 The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. 6 He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots[a] or by the prophets. 7 Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”

His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”

8 So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.

“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”

9 “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”

10 But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”

11 Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”

“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.

12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”

13 “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”

“I see a god[b] coming up out of the earth,” she said.

14 “What does he look like?” Saul asked.

“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.

15 “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.

Dear God, this whole thing about mediums has always set a little awkward with me. I’ve always been in the “this all just seems wrong” camp. Whether I don’t believe in mediums or I think they are evil, it’s just always freaked me out a little. But I was listening to a commentary on this passage yesterday and I liked what the speaker said. He basically took the position that the spirit world is real–probably more real than the physical world I see–and it is not to be messed with in this way. Tarot cards, ouija boards, etc. These are instruments of Satan to give us false gods to pull us away from you and they should be rejected. So Saul was right to forbid mediums and he should never have messed with this one. It’s not like he got any information that would change the decision you made about him and his kingdom. In fact, Samuel was pretty upset about being pulled back. What an interesting story.

So what do I let in from the spiritual realm that I shouldn’t? Do I respect it like I should? Are there things I look to as an idol that can replace my dependence upon you? There is so much I don’t understand. Do I try to grasp knowledge that you haven’t designed me to have yet? I don’t know, I’m asking a lot of questions that I don’t even know the answers to. I can’t think of anything I’m doing that messes inappropriately with the spiritual realm, but on the other hand, if I even entertain sin in my mind am I giving Satan that entry into my soul?

Father, give me eyes to see. Help me to critically look at my life and my actions. Do it all for my relationship with you and your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 29, 2022 in 1 Samuel

 

Hebrews 7:23-26

26 Apr

There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.
Hebrews 7:23-26

Dear God, my wife and I prayed together this morning. We take turns each day with who prays and it was my turn. I found myself praying the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, or at least the outline of it. As I think of Jesus the High Priest, I think about how I’m able to come to you this morning through him. I’m a Gentile who has grace and access to you through him. It is that thought that leads me into worshipping you and that’s when I find myself following the format Jesus game is.

Father, you are unbelievable, and I am so fortunate…fortunate? That’s weak. I am so unworthy of your love. Yet you make me worthy. You are amazing, unbelievably loving, and forgiving. Thank you. Please let your kingdom come and will be done on this earth and in our lives. From Ukraine and foreign affairs to my family and everything in between. Make the pain we experience count for your glory. Meet our needs today. Help us to remember that you are our provision. You are our only certainty and to not set up idols to replace you. Forgive me for how I sin and show me what it looks like to forgive others even when they don’t seek it. Keep me from succumbing to temptation. Help me resist Satan’s plans for me. And I acknowledge that your kingdom is the one constant, now and forever.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2022 in Hebrews

 

Hosea 1:2

24 Apr

2 When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”

Hosea 1:2

Dear God, what kind of dreams did Hosea have for his life? When he was a little boy and thinking about growing up, what did he think his life would look like? I’m pretty sure it didn’t include marrying an unfaithful prostitute.

I suppose each of us has a call on our lives, and, much to the consternation of prosperity gospel preachers, it isn’t always something that will help us live a fun, luxurious life. Sometimes, there is a difficult road laid out for us to walk. Some roads are rougher than others. Frankly, while my road has some pain and it certainly isn’t as luxurious as other roads, the truth is, my life is remarkably good.

Every year I have dinner with three friends from high school. We spend about 2-3 hours together and talk about what’s going on in our lives. We share pretty vulnerably. Children struggles. Job struggles. Marriage struggles. You get the idea. There are years when I go there fairly heavy-laden. I think they do too. But an interesting thing happens during the dinner. If we were to all put our lives into a bucket, bring it to the table, and then listen to the others’ stories, I get the feeling that, at the end of the night, each of us is happy to pick up our own buckets and take them home with us. I think part of this is that we wouldn’t only be giving up the pain, but we would be giving up the sweet parts of our lives of which we wouldn’t want to let go. In most cases, removing the pain would also remove at least part of the good.

For Hosea, I don’t know what “good” came from this pain. Maybe Gomer was delightful at times. Maybe this made his words from you mean even more. I was just watching a video of some guys doing bodywork on a car (I know that sounds incredibly weird, but I promise it’s not as weird as it sounds) and they were using a lot of materials to get the car’s body back into shape: hammers, sandpaper, frame straighteners, etc. The car needed some stress and friction to look the way the body shop needed it to look.

Father, I don’t know what kinds of tools you need to use on me, my wife, my children, my siblings, my parents, my friends, etc. I don’t know what you need to do to our country, and our world even. But I know we need friction. We need stress to mold us into the vessels you have for us to be. So to quote the song, “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Break me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2022 in Hosea

 
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