So, my roommate and I were talking about communication and prayer tonight. A big point we discussed was "filler words." I think it's interesting how much we hate silence in prayers. With how we pray, someone might think it must be a sin to speak slowly or to even stop for a second before saying something else. It might even seem like we're trying to fast-talk God into coming through on our prayers. We fall into this thing where we think the more words we can sputter out in succession, the more real our prayers are. We spout out words without even thinking about what we're saying to God. I wonder how many "uhhhs," "likes," and "justs" are stuck in our prayers perpetually. A good speaker avoids these words at all costs. Why, when we learn to not say these words in speech classes, do we let our vocabulary slacken in our prayers? If we avoid these words in talking to people, shouldn't we avoid them in talking to our Creator?
My roommate brought up a fantastic analogy to go with this. The story of Cain and Abel in the Bible illustrates how Abel brought a fantastic sacrifice, best of what he had, while Cain basically brought the leftovers of what he had. Abel's sacrifice was obviously better. Bringing this back to the conversation, it's not that God won't understand out prayers if we use too many fillers; it's more about how we're bringing the best we can to Him, even in our communication with Him.
Besides all this, when we're praying in public, our bad communication habits can be extremely distracting for others and bring their thoughts away from God. When you use "uhh" every five words or so, and it's almost louder than the actual words in your prayer...I'm sorry, but I can't handle that. It's ok to stop and think instead of jamming noise into your prayers. Again, why is silence such a bad thing to us?
I may have mentioned this in a previous blog, but one peeve I have in particular is the word "just." Think of it this way: "God, would You just do this" really means "God, would You do only this one thing,"...but we use "just" at least five times per prayer. To me, that's like lying right to God's face. "God, I'm only asking for this one thing. I'm also only asking for this other one thing. Oh yeah, and only this other thing as well."
Even through all this communication policing, we still can't be overly distracted by what we're saying, or else we fall into selfishness in our prayers. "Oh man, I have to sound good, or else...." If we're worried about how others think of us when we pray, who are we even praying to? Certainly not God, because He wants our full attention on Himself. This goes back again to giving our best for God. He doesn't want meaningless chatter, but he also doesn't want us focusing on ourselves and our words. He wants meaningful, relational conversation and love from us.
Just some thoughts. Comment or talk to me in person.
Peace.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Spiritual Disciplines
So, this is a topic we've all talked and listened to sermons and read books and taken classes about...so I'm not going to preach. Rather, I want to make a little statement about how I've been thinking about it lately and some things I would like help with. God has been teaching me lately how much I need some serious discipline in my life, much more so than usual. I've been recognizing the significance of it more in certain ways. I even just finished a fantastic little textbook called "Mudhouse Sabbath" all about certain disciplines. I've decided I'm going to try harder at not just little daily disciplines, but also more substantial ones like Sabbath and fasting. Everyone takes these and other for granted, and everyone KNOWS that everyone takes them for granted. I would like to start being more diligent in everything I do so I can accomplish a recognition of Sabbath at the end of this coming week. I'm going to try to do better at various other things, but this is the one which I feel I should talk to others about specifically. If everything works out like I want it to this week, I'll probably be unavailable to contact for the most part except in person Friday night through Sunday morning. I would love to talk more about Sabbath and accountability with other disciplines with whoever wants to, as well...preferably in person, and less in the comments section of this blog.
Peace.
Peace.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Psalm 59
"Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me..."
"Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips - for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"
"O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies."
"Each evening they come back, howling like dogs, and prowling about the city. They wander about for food and growl if the do not get their fill."
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love."
O God, my temptations return every night and day, but You hear all my thoughts. You hear them spouting lies at me, and You hear me try to justify my wrong actions. O God, my Strength, I will watch for You. You are my Fortress and Refuge in my times of trouble. You will let me look in triumph over my old ways, and remind me of Your mighty hand through it all. I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning because of the love You have shown me. I will watch for You in the night; I will watch for You in the day.
Peace.
"Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips - for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"
"O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies."
"Each evening they come back, howling like dogs, and prowling about the city. They wander about for food and growl if the do not get their fill."
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love."
O God, my temptations return every night and day, but You hear all my thoughts. You hear them spouting lies at me, and You hear me try to justify my wrong actions. O God, my Strength, I will watch for You. You are my Fortress and Refuge in my times of trouble. You will let me look in triumph over my old ways, and remind me of Your mighty hand through it all. I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning because of the love You have shown me. I will watch for You in the night; I will watch for You in the day.
Peace.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Refreshed
"Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ." Philemon v.20
The chaplain at Spring Arbor likes to talk about this verse. He says we should refresh people in Christ; we should love God so much that just our presence is refreshing to others. That's just a brief mention of what he says about that verse, but that's enough to get across what I'm going to talk about.
I recently met someone who refreshed my heart in Christ. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who's done that as soon as I've met them. He was not a student at Spring Arbor, but he was running around campus for a day praying over the dorms and buildings and proclaiming freedom loudly over campus. I found him in the evening and was able to talk to him about what he was doing and where he came from. He was a really crazy dude who basically got stuck in Spring Arbor twice by God this week so he could pray over it. God is going to really change people's hearts this year on campus I think. I guess I can't say much else, other than this character honestly refreshed me just by being around him, and God brought him here for a purpose, even if only for a short time. Keep praying.
Peace.
The chaplain at Spring Arbor likes to talk about this verse. He says we should refresh people in Christ; we should love God so much that just our presence is refreshing to others. That's just a brief mention of what he says about that verse, but that's enough to get across what I'm going to talk about.
I recently met someone who refreshed my heart in Christ. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who's done that as soon as I've met them. He was not a student at Spring Arbor, but he was running around campus for a day praying over the dorms and buildings and proclaiming freedom loudly over campus. I found him in the evening and was able to talk to him about what he was doing and where he came from. He was a really crazy dude who basically got stuck in Spring Arbor twice by God this week so he could pray over it. God is going to really change people's hearts this year on campus I think. I guess I can't say much else, other than this character honestly refreshed me just by being around him, and God brought him here for a purpose, even if only for a short time. Keep praying.
Peace.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thoughts on words
So, going on the assumption that someone still reads this after my last post, I have some things to talk about tonight. First off, thanks to anyone who read my last post and prayed for me...really appreciated that. I've been in the midst of some massive spiritual warfare the past few weeks. As you could see from two posts ago, God has been teaching me a lot of stuff, but (as illustrated by my most previous post) Satan's really trying to mess it up. Maybe I've lost some standing with whoever happened to read it, but I don't care. I'm not going to pretend like everything's always perfect with me. At least through all this crap, God's really been letting me see the warfare going on around me.
Next on the agenda, I was reading Psalm 52 tonight, and along with some other thoughts from the day, it really got me thinking.
"Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah.
You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever, he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah."
That's almost entirely about just words; the way we talk to others. I was already thinking about this topic earlier today; interesting how God's been bringing it to my attention so much. It's funny to see how we cut down others constantly with our words, but pretend it's ok, because we're just joking. We want to sound witty and make people laugh. That's a good thing, right? Who doesn't want to be popular? I'm guilty of that. Then there's other times when I see my friends just being unnecessarily critical of other friends. Of course, it's ok to talk like that to people you're friends with and have known for a long time. It's ok to point out their flaws and how they've inconvenienced you by some action they've made, even if it wasn't entirely or at all their fault, since you'll still be friends even after you say it. Besides, you're just helping them to become a better person, right? Maybe you're just trying to train them to look out for you. I'm guilty of that. People who call themselves Christians or Christ-followers or Jesus freaks can be serious jerks when they see someone else not being perfect (i.e., being a human, just like them). I'm guilty of that. Personally, I'm really quick to criticise my mom. I had to apologize to her just today because of my attitude. I'm not saying all this to just point at everyone else; I'm included. God has really been convicting me in this area today.
Jesus, draw us near to you. Show us true love. I want to look foolish to the world. I want to love like I'm not afraid.
God's also been really showing me how I need to show His love to my family. I would realy appreciate it if you would pray for God to work in my family and that he would keep me from getting in His way. Pray the same for yourselves, while you're at it; no family is perfect.
Peace.
Next on the agenda, I was reading Psalm 52 tonight, and along with some other thoughts from the day, it really got me thinking.
"Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah.
You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever, he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah."
That's almost entirely about just words; the way we talk to others. I was already thinking about this topic earlier today; interesting how God's been bringing it to my attention so much. It's funny to see how we cut down others constantly with our words, but pretend it's ok, because we're just joking. We want to sound witty and make people laugh. That's a good thing, right? Who doesn't want to be popular? I'm guilty of that. Then there's other times when I see my friends just being unnecessarily critical of other friends. Of course, it's ok to talk like that to people you're friends with and have known for a long time. It's ok to point out their flaws and how they've inconvenienced you by some action they've made, even if it wasn't entirely or at all their fault, since you'll still be friends even after you say it. Besides, you're just helping them to become a better person, right? Maybe you're just trying to train them to look out for you. I'm guilty of that. People who call themselves Christians or Christ-followers or Jesus freaks can be serious jerks when they see someone else not being perfect (i.e., being a human, just like them). I'm guilty of that. Personally, I'm really quick to criticise my mom. I had to apologize to her just today because of my attitude. I'm not saying all this to just point at everyone else; I'm included. God has really been convicting me in this area today.
Jesus, draw us near to you. Show us true love. I want to look foolish to the world. I want to love like I'm not afraid.
God's also been really showing me how I need to show His love to my family. I would realy appreciate it if you would pray for God to work in my family and that he would keep me from getting in His way. Pray the same for yourselves, while you're at it; no family is perfect.
Peace.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Rough day(s)
So, apologies in advance if this is kind of a downer blog, but I wanted to say something here without spouting it out all over Facebook. I've been having a rough couple of days spiritually...along the lines of serious doubts in my faith. It's been really hard on me, and my mom could even tell something was wrong with me today. These doubts just hit me all of a sudden, and they made me really depressed and confused.
I've been listening to a lot of less than God-honoring music lately, and at home it's hard for me to spend a lot of time around people who really love God. I wouldn't say these in and of themselves are contributing factors, but outside of those, I don't really know why these doubts hit me so hard. It sucks. Really bad. For a while, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. It's especially hard when you don't see anyone who matches the description of a Christian as outlined in the Bible.
As I said, there's a reason I didn't want to put this directly on Facebook. I've been begging God to help me see the truth through this, and He has shown me hope. He's also let me know subtly that I need to stop lowering my standards. I've been doing that a lot lately, now that I think about it. I've been listening to a lot of stuff that's just no good on the radio, under the pretense of wanting to listen to "good" music. I've been lowering my standards for the kind of relationship I'm looking for by thinking things like, "Oh, well, she's pretty, and likes Jesus enough."
...what happened to me? Good grief, God has been showing me so many things lately, and I repay Him with unbelief? I've been asking His forgiveness and help with this...and He has been faithful to restore my faith in small, simple ways today.
I was listening to Demon Hunter's song "Shallow Water" earlier this evening, and it made me think about how I don't challenge myself with sacrifice...I do sacrifice, but not to the point of needing to trust in God. I need to take a step deeper in faith if I'm going to really see God work.
Here's the chorus to the song I mentioned:
"Tread shallow water: safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice.
Sons and daughters, pray for the rain. May it redeem their eyes."
If you've read this far, I would ask for your prayers as the second line of that chorus goes.
Peace.
I've been listening to a lot of less than God-honoring music lately, and at home it's hard for me to spend a lot of time around people who really love God. I wouldn't say these in and of themselves are contributing factors, but outside of those, I don't really know why these doubts hit me so hard. It sucks. Really bad. For a while, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. It's especially hard when you don't see anyone who matches the description of a Christian as outlined in the Bible.
As I said, there's a reason I didn't want to put this directly on Facebook. I've been begging God to help me see the truth through this, and He has shown me hope. He's also let me know subtly that I need to stop lowering my standards. I've been doing that a lot lately, now that I think about it. I've been listening to a lot of stuff that's just no good on the radio, under the pretense of wanting to listen to "good" music. I've been lowering my standards for the kind of relationship I'm looking for by thinking things like, "Oh, well, she's pretty, and likes Jesus enough."
...what happened to me? Good grief, God has been showing me so many things lately, and I repay Him with unbelief? I've been asking His forgiveness and help with this...and He has been faithful to restore my faith in small, simple ways today.
I was listening to Demon Hunter's song "Shallow Water" earlier this evening, and it made me think about how I don't challenge myself with sacrifice...I do sacrifice, but not to the point of needing to trust in God. I need to take a step deeper in faith if I'm going to really see God work.
Here's the chorus to the song I mentioned:
"Tread shallow water: safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice.
Sons and daughters, pray for the rain. May it redeem their eyes."
If you've read this far, I would ask for your prayers as the second line of that chorus goes.
Peace.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A thought on guidance
So, I was reading in Psalm 25 recently, and found these verses: "Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant." (25:12-14, ESV)
Maybe you've never had this problem, but I remember lots of times when I've wanted God's guidance in some matter, prayed for Him to show me the way, and sat around wishing He would just show me a little of His will...all while my relationship with Him was failing in all other areas. Oftentimes, these prayers for guidance in some situation were the first times in quite a while when I had bothered to talk to Him earnestly about something at all. This morning I read Psalm 37:4-5: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." I realized how foolish I was to think God would've acted in these situations when I wasn't committing myself to Him each day; I was just coming to Him in my time of need, expecting Him to help me after ignoring Him in all other situations. Seems kinda silly, doesn't it?
Peace.
Maybe you've never had this problem, but I remember lots of times when I've wanted God's guidance in some matter, prayed for Him to show me the way, and sat around wishing He would just show me a little of His will...all while my relationship with Him was failing in all other areas. Oftentimes, these prayers for guidance in some situation were the first times in quite a while when I had bothered to talk to Him earnestly about something at all. This morning I read Psalm 37:4-5: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." I realized how foolish I was to think God would've acted in these situations when I wasn't committing myself to Him each day; I was just coming to Him in my time of need, expecting Him to help me after ignoring Him in all other situations. Seems kinda silly, doesn't it?
Peace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
