Why Pray?

Just Pray!

I’ve often heard others say... “Don’t just pray when you need God…pray always!” But what’s wrong with praying when you need God’s help? Certainly, it’s good to establish a consistent prayer life…     but many don’t have this in their everyday life. Prayer is simply talking with God and to me,     that means...     Anytime is a good time to talk with God. Some hesitate to pray because they may feel     “it’s been too long”, or     “God won’t hear them” But God listens all the time…     he delights in hearing your prayers. The bible says that, “God gives grace” To me, that means that He gives grace in such a sufficient amount, that I am not lacking. So my answer to the question, “Why pray?” is:     God hears. Nike says, “Just do it!” I’ll say, “Just pray!” MTJ

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte).

Reprint: God Hears My Cry

Note: For some time now, I've thought of sharing a reprint of an earlier post which has been integral to my life as a Christian. I can remember so many instances when I asked myself:
"Is God listening? Does He hear me?"
What I have learned is that "He really is God!" This means that God has the capacity to not only hear me, but everyone else; all at the same time. I find this fact both awesome and facinating! So today, Friday the 13^th, I am reprinting a post from last year. I do hope you find it worth reading.

God's Blessings to you.



Most of us who are familiar with the life of David know he was a warrior and a king. We remember David as the shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath. We remember the bond of brotherly love between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. We remember David as having a heart after God causing him to repent from the murder of Uriah the Hittite; we don’t think of David being fearful.

But there were times when even David was afraid.

David understood that there’s no shame in acknowledging my fears.

What makes you afraid?

The unknown causes fear. The things I’m unfamiliar with can cause fear to rise up in me.

I remember as a child, we lived in an apartment and the one window in this bedroom I shared with my brothers faced an interior brick wall of another apartment building. There was a space of about four square feet that ascended from the base of the buildings to the roof.

God Hears My Cry

Next to this window was a closet which my mother used to store her clothes. She did this because her bedroom had no closet. The closet door was never shut. I suppose it was due to the small size of the closet, and the amount of clothes hanging on the rack and the door hook, that made it difficult to shut.

It was during the night that I began to notice a stationary figure standing in front of that open closet door. This motionless figure stood there, tormenting me with fear. I would call for my mother asking if I could sleep with the light on but my pleas would fall on deaf ears. Both she and my grandmother would try to assure me that no one was in the room but as soon as they left, my tormentor returned. I became so afraid that sleep was impossible unless I used the covers as a cocoon. I began to imagine that each night, my tormentor would climb up the walls and through the window, standing there by the closet door, in the dark and silence; waiting for the right moment to do something terrible to me.

In the morning, my tormentor would be gone; his opportunity lost because I’d hidden myself under the covers. Each morning, I’d cautiously open the window, peering down to the ground below hoping my tormentor was somehow trapped; unable to escape. I was never able to see my tormentor during the day. As a child, I had not reached the point where my logic would override my imagination. It never occurred to me that during a full moon, this corridor of brick walls would illuminate with light, creating shadows that seemed to move as I peered from beneath the covers.

I was afraid because I saw someone who wasn’t supposed to be there; so I hid under the covers.

I didn’t know what to do, or whom to call for help.

One night, I needed to go to the bathroom, but there was my tormentor, standing there waiting for me to get up. I waited and waited, but my tormentor stood motionless in front of the door, silently watching me. Finally, I picked up a shoe, sat up in the bed and threw it as hard as I could. To my surprise, the shoe knocked my tormentor to the floor. I got up and walked cautiously over to the closet door to get a close glimpse of my tormentor. Standing there with a shoe in my hand, ready to beat my tormentor senselessly, I looked down on the floor and lying underneath my shoe was my mother’s black and white polka-dot silk blouse. This made no sense to me.

Where was my tormentor?

I picked up the blouse and hung it back on the door. It was then that I noticed something from the moonlight shining through the window. The blouse seemed to morph into something I'd seen many times before. Was this the hideous, frightening monstrous figure that tormented me for so many nights? I walked over to the bed, sat down and peered in the direction of the closet door. There was my tormentor again! I hurled my shoe, again knocking it to the floor. I ran over to catch a glimpse and lying there was my mother’s silk blouse.

My mother never asked me about the shoeprints on her blouse, and I never saw my tormentor again.

The things I’m unfamiliar with can cause fear to rise up in me.

Unfamiliarity with God may even cause me to fear Him.

David understood that even during his darkest fears, God hears his cry; David knew that God is on his side:

“My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!”¹

“Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me.”²

“Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.”³

“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”⁴

I think about how powerful, and alive those words are as they speak, resonating in my spirit:

"...God is for me."

Fear is a type of enemy. The bible says:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”⁵

God gave me three spiritual weapons to overcome my fears:

1. The spirit of power, to face my fears.
2. The spirit of love, to faithfully trust Him with my fears.
3. The spirit of a well-balanced mind, to know He is greater than my fears.

My fears retreat because God is for me!

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen?”⁶

Knowing who God is, and that He hears me means that my fears cannot harm me. God hears me when I cry to Him. As a child, lying in my bed, afraid of the dark, wishing for some light, my fear grew to be a monster-sized terror. I was alone. I didn’t know what was there, or who to call for help.

I’m not alone anymore. God is for me. Jesus is called, Immanuel, which means, God with us. He won’t ignore my cry; He hears my cry. Whatever fears lurk in the shadows of my life, I will call out to the Lord because I know He hears my cry.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 56:9, NLTB
2. Psalm 56:9, Amplified Bible
3. Psalm 56:9, NIV
4. Psalm 56:9, KJV
5. 2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible
6. Romans 8:31, The Message Bible

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The Amplified Bible, by The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN-13: 978-0310951414
3. King James Version, The Crusade Analytical Study Edition, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., PO Box 90011, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
4. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250
5. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
6. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896
7. Matthew Henry's Commentary, McDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101, ISBN 0-917006-21-6

Pray Without Ceasing

Pray without ceasing

When all else fails, pray. It’s good to pray when all else fails, but why wait? Pray before failure, pray in the midst of my circumstance, and pray when the circumstance seems lost; God hears me pray. Pray without ceasing. I will not cease to pray. I will not tire of praying. I will not give up on God. Praying is a choice…I choose to pray. But why pray to God? I’ve never seen Him, yet He’s ever present in my life. Time after time, He has intervened in my life; I’m a witness to His grace and mercy. I believe this is the confidence of faith the Apostle John writes about: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” -- 1 John 5:14 God hears us! How remarkable is that? Almighty God chooses to hear us! I began my Christian journey hopeful, thankful, and joyous; but I was also filled with uncertainty. Does God hear me? What about my past? I was constantly reminded of what I’d done, instead of what Christ accomplished. In time, I came to realize I was forgiven; I was freed to come boldly to the Throne of Grace to find help in my time of need. Praying isn’t based on how I feel; prayer is my choice. Paul said, “I press on”. No matter what happens, my choice is to press on (i.e., pray on); no matter how I feel. “Never stop praying.” -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Every circumstance I face in life is an opportunity to ask God to hear me; it’s my God-given opportunity to pray. I can call a family member, a friend, or a professional counselor, but sometimes, the only response is their voice mail. They can call me at critical times in their life, but I may be unavailable, too busy, or just not in the mood. None of us can claim that we hear everything someone says to us. God hears! Don’t be hesitant, don’t stop. Keep praying, God hears you.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte).

Hearing

Overwhelmed with the emotions…     of sorrow and grief. Unaccustomed to crying…     but still no relief. Who will hear...     my impassioned plea? The silence is deafening…     the stress will not cease. I cry out to God…     but He says not a word. I give You my all…     please say that You've heard. Then in my silence…     God says to me. I've heard every word…     I've heard every plea. Compose yourself child…     and listen to me. I've given you life…     a gift that came free. A free gift for you…     but it came at a cost. Your life was condemned…     your soul was once lost. I sent my Son Jesus…     to stand in your place. He died on the cross…     so you would have grace. Up there He hung…     His blood streaming down. That you one day would wear…     an eternal crown. Know that I hear…     every word that you say. But will you listen…     to Me on this day? Choose you this day…     whom you will serve. If God be God…     then His voice you have heard. Walk in My grace…     and the newness of life. In the midst of the chaos…     of sin and of strife. Stand firm in the faith…     in Christ you are free. Walk in the grace…     of true liberty. poem by MTJ

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte).

God Hears My Cry

Most of us who are familiar with the life of David know he was a warrior and a king. We remember David as the shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath. We remember the bond of brotherly love between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. We remember David as having a heart after God causing him to repent from the murder of Uriah the Hittite; we don’t think of David being fearful.

But there were times when even David was afraid.

David understood that there’s no shame in acknowledging my fears.

What makes you afraid?

The unknown causes fear. The things I’m unfamiliar with can cause fear to rise up in me.

I remember as a child, we lived in an apartment and the one window in this bedroom I shared with my brothers faced an interior brick wall of another apartment building. There was a space of about four square feet that ascended from the base of the buildings to the roof.

God Hears My Cry

Next to this window was a closet which my mother used to store her clothes. She did this because her bedroom had no closet. The closet door was never shut. I suppose it was due to the small size of the closet, and the amount of clothes hanging on the rack and the door hook, that made it difficult to shut.

It was during the night that I began to notice a stationary figure standing in front of that open closet door. This motionless figure stood there, tormenting me with fear. I would call for my mother asking if I could sleep with the light on but my pleas would fall on deaf ears. Both she and my grandmother would try to assure me that no one was in the room but as soon as they left, my tormentor returned. I became so afraid that sleep was impossible unless I used the covers as a cocoon. I began to imagine that each night, my tormentor would climb up the walls and through the window, standing there by the closet door, in the dark and silence; waiting for the right moment to do something terrible to me.

In the morning, my tormentor would be gone; his opportunity lost because I’d hidden myself under the covers. Each morning, I’d cautiously open the window, peering down to the ground below hoping my tormentor was somehow trapped; unable to escape. I was never able to see my tormentor during the day. As a child, I had not reached the point where my logic would override my imagination. It never occurred to me that during a full moon, this corridor of brick walls would illuminate with light, creating shadows that seemed to move as I peered from beneath the covers.

I was afraid because I saw someone who wasn’t supposed to be there; so I hid under the covers.

I didn’t know what to do, or whom to call for help.

One night, I needed to go to the bathroom, but there was my tormentor, standing there waiting for me to get up. I waited and waited, but my tormentor stood motionless in front of the door, silently watching me. Finally, I picked up a shoe, sat up in the bed and threw it as hard as I could. To my surprise, the shoe knocked my tormentor to the floor. I got up and walked cautiously over to the closet door to get a close glimpse of my tormentor. Standing there with a shoe in my hand, ready to beat my tormentor senselessly, I looked down on the floor and lying underneath my shoe was my mother’s black and white polka-dot silk blouse. This made no sense to me.

Where was my tormentor?

I picked up the blouse and hung it back on the door. It was then that I noticed something from the moonlight shining through the window. The blouse seemed to morph into something I'd seen many times before. Was this the hideous, frightening monstrous figure that tormented me for so many nights? I walked over to the bed, sat down and peered in the direction of the closet door. There was my tormentor again! I hurled my shoe, again knocking it to the floor. I ran over to catch a glimpse and lying there was my mother’s silk blouse.

My mother never asked me about the shoeprints on her blouse, and I never saw my tormentor again.

The things I’m unfamiliar with can cause fear to rise up in me.

Unfamiliarity with God may even cause me to fear Him.

David understood that even during his darkest fears, God hears his cry; David knew that God is on his side:

“My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!”¹

“Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me.”²

“Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.”³

“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”⁴

I think about how powerful, and alive those words are as they speak, resonating in my spirit:

"...God is for me."

Fear is a type of enemy. The bible says:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”⁵

God give me three spiritual weapons to overcome my fears:

1. The spirit of power, to face my fears.
2. The spirit of love, to faithfully trust Him with my fears.
3. The spirit of a well-balanced mind, to know He is greater than my fears.

My fears retreat because God is for me!

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen?”⁶

Knowing who God is, and that He hears me means that my fears cannot harm me. God hears me when I cry to Him. As a child, lying in my bed, afraid of the dark, wishing for some light, my fear grew to be a monster-sized terror. I was alone. I didn’t know what was there, or who to call for help.

I’m not alone anymore. God is for me. Jesus is called, Immanuel, which means, God with us. He won’t ignore my cry; He hears my cry. Whatever fears lurk in the shadows of my life, I will call out to the Lord because I know He hears my cry.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 56:9, NLTB
2. Psalm 56:9, Amplified Bible
3. Psalm 56:9, NIV
4. Psalm 56:9, KJV
5. 2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible
6. Romans 8:31, The Message Bible

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The Amplified Bible, by The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN-13: 978-0310951414
3. King James Version, The Crusade Analytical Study Edition, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., PO Box 90011, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
4. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250
5. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
6. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896
7. Matthew Henry's Commentary, McDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101, ISBN 0-917006-21-6

God Hears Me

This has been a busy week for me, traveling and working at customer sites. I have found moments of quiet time to pray for family, friends, and those of you, I've been blessed to meet via this forum. This morning I decided to take a day off, and yet, I still found myself working from home (thank You Jesus for this Type-A personality). As I said, before firing my thrusters, I prayed and afterwards I found myself thinking of Psalm 116:1-2, which says:

“I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”¹

From the depths of where I am, God inclines His ear to hear my voice!

“I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him.”²

Because He hears…

Because He listened…

God does something that is so incredibly appreciated; He hears me.

I need to remind myself that God is not:

1. Someone who uses a caller ID-like feature to ignore me whenever I dial-up a prayer to Him.
2. Someone who directs my prayers to voice mail.
3. Someone who has His secretary screen my incoming prayers with a query, “What is the nature of this prayer?”
4. Someone who can’t fit me into His schedule.

“I love the Lord, because He hears My voice…”

Dear Jesus I Love you You're a friend of mine You supply my every need My hungry soul you feed I'm aware you are my source From which all blessings flow And with this thought in mind I know just where, where to go3

There is absolutely nothing that impedes God from hearing my prayer.

God hears me…it’s just that simple.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 116:1-2, NASB
2. Psalm 116:1-2, The Message Bible
3. Dear Jesus I Love You, song written by Walter Hawkins, album Love Alive 1

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250