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).

God is on my side!

Happy Mother's Day!
Note: Let me first say thanks to all who read this blog, many of whom are mothers. This Sunday is the day set aside to acknowledge and honor the many women who give birth, nurture, and raise children. There is no way a child can repay the sacrifices a mother makes, the love she freely gives, and the grace she extends. Yet, I do believe that a mother can be honored by the life I choose to live. In living for Christ, I offer to God and my mother the greatest honor I can give; my life. To mothers everywhere I say:

Happy Mother's Day!

---

	This I know: God is on my side!”
	"God causes everything to work together for the good"

I’ve read them before as I sure many others have, but somehow the words echo in my thoughts. Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit providing me with gentle reminders that God hasn’t given up on me. I think most of us experience some measure of defeat in our life, moments of discouragement, a loss, a hurt, some degree of sadness.

I was thinking how God feels at times, when I didn’t trust Him, when I gave up on Him, or when I didn’t believe His word. The bible speaks of God repenting that He made humanity. How painful it must have been for the God who loves us so much that He gave His only Son, to regret His creative acts..

Yet God moves beyond His regrets and extends grace to all that would receive it.

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

How do you know God is on your side?

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”²

I can’t think of any words more affirming and assuring. Words proclaiming that The Living God cares about my life, every facet, aspect, and moment that He invests His love and life in me:

1. The Holy Spirit is the investment which declares that we have been sealed: “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…”³
2. Jesus Christ is the redeemer who answers the demand of punishment for our sins: “…we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins…”⁴
3. God the Father is the adopter who defines us as His own children: “…so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”⁵

I can doubt, but God doesn’t. He is certain about my position in Christ; for Him, I am secured. His word provides me with assurances, but I must trust and believe Him.

“...God is on my side!”

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”⁶

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

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 56:9, NLTB
2. Romans 8:28, NLTB
3. Ephesians 1:13, NIV
4. 1 John 2:1-2, NASB
5. Galatians 5:5, NASB
6. 1 John 5:14, NASB

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
3. 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
4. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896

Trust

Trust is easy when there's confidence

During my morning meditation, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a word that I’ve used quite a bit lately; it’s the word trust.

I recall it coming up after my surgery when I began physical therapy in May. Unknown to my therapist, I discussed how uncomfortable wearing my arm sling was with my surgeon and he conceded that while at home, there was no need to wear it. He gave me this permission with the understanding that if I went out, I would wear the sling. The problem was that I got adjusted to not wearing a sling around the house, so on my first therapy appointment I rolled up without my arm in a sling.

As my therapist walked into the room she immediately began with an interrogation; the only missing prop for this scene was an intense light shining in my face. Instead of the normal hello followed by the introduction protocols, she alarmingly asked.

“Where’s your sling?”

I didn’t pick up on the seriousness of her tone and my, it’s no big deal reply answered,

“Oh my bad, you know what; I forgot to put it on before I left the house.”

“You’re supposed to be in that sling all the time!”

“I know, I know, but I forgot it this morning. I haven’t been wearing it at home and I simply left this morning without putting it on.”

“Does Dr._____________ know you don't wear the sling?”

“I wear the sling; I just forgot to put it on this morning.”

“Yes, but does he know you don’t wear it at all?”

“OK, I didn’t say, ‘I don’t ever wear it.’ What I said was, ‘I don’t wear it around the house.’ And I did discuss it with my doctor and he agreed that I didn’t have to wear it at home.”

“Well, I’ll have to talk with the doctor to see if he really did say that.”

At this point, I’m a little puzzled.

“You say that like I’m not telling you the truth.”

To which she replied,

“You’d be surprised at the lies I’ve been told by patients.”

“Look, I realize you don’t know me but I have no reason to lie to you. I mean really, what would be the point? What can you do to me? I have nothing to gain by lying to you. If that were the case, why would I even come here today if the intent wasn’t to facilitate recovery from the surgery? I’m here to get better. The fact that I’m sitting here with you implies not only that I want to get better but that I’m extending trust to you to help me. But that works both ways. You have to extend trust to me as well.”

She looked at me and replied,

“You’ll have to earn my trust.”

I looked into her bluish-grey eyes, smiled and said,

“Trust isn’t something earned. It’s a choice one makes. You give it or you don’t. You may want assurances but ultimately, you extend trust despite any reservations you may have or you simply don’t trust me.”

She stood there quietly for a moment looking at me and then responded,

“I guess that’s true but I’ll have to think about that.”

It was in that moment that I myself realized that trust is not something measured out in increments; it is given in full measure or it isn’t given at all. I could see that God through Jesus Christ extended trust to me but He went beyond extending trust by demonstrating His trustworthiness. He did this without requiring me to earn His trust.

How foolish I’d been for most of my life, parceling out itty, bitty bits of trust as a reward to those who satisfied me. I wasn’t really extending trust; I was doing what was necessary to get what I wanted.

The object of trust isn’t getting something in return; it’s giving of one’s self to another. This is what God does.

There are several Hebrew words used in scripture for trust, three which I will focus on are chacah, yachal and mibtach. Chacah (khaw-saw’) means to flee (to) for protection; [figuratively] to confide in:--have hope, make refuge, (put) trust. This word reminds me of times when I’ve sought the shelter of a doorway from a hard driving rain; trusting it to keep me from being drenched by the downpour. Scriptures which speak of chacah include:

“And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge [trust] in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’”¹

“My God, my rock, in whom I [trust] take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge [trust].”²

Yachal (yaw-chal’) means to wait; by implication it means to be patient, hope :--( cause to, have, or make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, or wait. This reminds me of those times I’ve stood in a long line waiting for an audience to speak with someone, or standing in line at a counter while those before me completed their transactions. Scriptures which speak of yachal include:

“Though he slay me, I will hope [trust] in Him.”³

“And for My arm they will wait [trust] expectantly.”⁴

Mibtach (mib-tawkh’) means a refuge, i.e. security, or (subjectively speaking) assurance:--confidence, hope, sure or trust. This reminds me of the attitude I had when I competed in sports and the confidence within me that victory was mine. Scriptures which speak of mibtach include:

“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust…”⁵

“For Thou art my hope; O Lord God, Thou art my confidence [trust] from my youth.”⁶

The Greek word most often used in the New Testament for trust is the word elpizo (el-pid’-zo) which means, to expect or confide:--(have, thing) hope (-d) (for), trust. Scriptures which reference elpizo include:

“indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves; but in God who raises the dead;”⁷

“who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope [trust]. And He will yet deliver us,”⁸

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope [trust] on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”⁹

So as I meditate on the biblical concept of trust, I realize that it incorporates my willingness to confide in God the things which are of concern to me, my desire to seek refuge in Him and to live my life in a way that reinforces the hope I’ve placed in Christ.

I have been let down by friends, by family members, I have encountered people who are not trustworthy, and I have betrayed the trust which others placed in me; a betrayal which causes disappointment. But I have no accusation against God for a betrayal of the trust I’ve given Him. I’ve discovered that even when I didn’t trust God, He proved Himself trustworthy.

God upholds His word so He never has a problem demonstrating He is trustworthy.

My word has failed me and others so often that I must acknowledge that I’m not trustworthy.

I can’t rely on myself to be trustworthy; I must rely on the trustworthiness of God.

If I am to allow Christ to live in me, then I must yield this part of me to Christ and allow His attribute of trust to operate in my life.

How do I allow this to happen?

As I mentioned earlier, the Hebrew word yachal means to wait, or to be patient. The apostle Paul refers to this in his letter to the church in Galatia:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…patience…”¹⁰

Patience teaches me to trust God in every area of my life.

In learning to be patient, I find that God gives me opportunities to exercise my patient muscles. I know there are no physical muscles for patience but there are spiritual muscles that I can exercise that develop patience in me.

So the next time I’m standing in line and the cashier calls for a price check, or the customer in front of me has fifteen items in the line which says, 10 items or less, rather than allow the situation to blossom into a frustrating experience, I will remind myself that God is giving me an opportunity to demonstrate patience. In doing so, I will be confiding to Him that, I trust You Lord; not me.

Father God,

Thank You that You prove Yourself trustworthy to me. You are teaching me to seek refuge in You, to confide in You, to wait on You, to trust in You. You've equipped me with the fruit of the Spirit, and so I have patience resident within me. I will no longer rely and trust in me; my trust is in You Lord. You are giving me learning opportunities that patience may have it's perfect work in me. Thank You for enabling me to grow in Your grace, truth and trust. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Judges 9:15, NASB
2. 2 Samuel 22:3, NASB
3. Job 13:15, NASB
4. Isaiah 51:5, NASB
5. Psalm 40:4, NASB
6. Psalm 71:5, NASB
7. 2 Corinthians 1:9, NASB
8. 2 Corinthians 1:10, NASB
9. 1 Timothy 4:10, NASB
10. Galatians 5:22, NASB

References:

1. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, By James B. Strong, S.T.D, LL.D., Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
2. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6